In Sotto Voce
by The Wolfess
Summary: "Sotto voce (adv): under the breath. In an undertone. Also, in a private manner. The speaker gives the impression of uttering involuntarily a truth which may surprise, shock, or offend." Hyrule Warriors AU. Longshot turned Novella.
1. Chapter 1

*****DISCLAIMER STATEMENT:** The Legend of Zelda and Hyrule Warriors are copyright and trademark of Nintendo and Techmo Koei. The storyline and all original characters are intellectual property of me.**

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**In Sotto Voce**

_By Jennifer Wolfe (aka The Wolfess)_

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_**Sotto voce (adv):**__ under the breath. In an undertone. Also, in a private manner.  
>The speaker gives the impression of uttering involuntarily a truth which may surprise, shock, or offend.<em>

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**Chapter 1**

At the tender age of sixteen, the young heir to the throne of Hyrule, Princess Zelda, had never visited the Knight Academy's training grounds before. She much preferred to spend her time reading books and studying than watching a bunch of sweaty trainees hitting each other with wooden practice swords. There were certainly enough books in the royal library to occupy any one reader for several lifetimes, so the princess never wanted for something new to read. The linage of her Royal House went back to the Sky Era and the age of the First Hero, before Hyrule Kingdom was founded by Queen Zelda Nohansan Harkinian Hyrule the First. It just happened that every Zelda since then had also been a lover of reading. As a result the library was filled, floor to ceiling, with well-preserved books. The oldest volumes dated farther back than that, as they had belonged to the Headmasters of the first Knight Academy, long before the birth of Queen Zelda I.

Unfortunately, her father's new ward did not seem to appreciate the treasure trove of wisdom within the dusty library. The King of Hyrule had agreed to foster the heir to the Zora Kingdom, a young Zoran princess named Rutella, on behalf of King Zora. Behind closed doors, it was rumored that the young princess was far too rebellious and full of passions, and her father was at his wits end trying to calm her down and get her to study. King Zora hoped that the studious, well-mannered Hyrulian princess might have a good influence on his own daughter.

Zelda wasn't sure that it was possible for _anyone_ to calm down the zora princess. She went by the short, jazzy nickname "Ruto" rather than her own full, more elegant and historied name, and she was constantly sneaking around the guards or mooning out the window during their studies with Master Shaddrik, Master Owlan, and Master Horwell. To make matters worse, the fish-girl had a strange and somewhat unhealthy obsession with hylian men, which is what brought them to the training grounds that morning.

"You can't tell me that you've never come out here before," Princess Ruto was saying as she followed Princess Zelda across the battlements. Her clammy blue skin was flushed with excitement and she was getting a little giggly. The Zora princess was wearing a deep blue-violet gown with rosy eye-shaped dots about the size of a hand along the hem. The bodice was a little _low _and the shoulders a little too revealing for the hylian princess's tastes, but it was a lovely gown if you didn't mind the cut.

Zelda shrugged. "Well, I _have_ come this way to attend a few ceremonies. However, other than that, no. I have never really had a desire to," she responded. "I have guards all around me every day, trained soldiers and officers all. I tire of seeing them constantly. Why would I desire to see _more _soldiers, and the less skilled trainees at that?"

Ruto rolled her eyes. "Wow, you're kind of clueless, aren't you? Do they ever let you out of that library?"

Zelda didn't honor that comment with a reply. They had come to the battlement just north of the training grounds. From there, they would have the best view of the yard and the practice square. Ruto would have wanted to get closer, but Zelda didn't think that it was possible without drawing undue attention to their presence. Better that the trainees not be distracted from their work than for the zora princess to get a closer view.

The sounds of trainees talking and wooden swords clacking rose from the training grounds below them. It was a hazy spring morning, and the sunlight filtering through the haze seemed to give the world a glow. At the end of the crenellation the girls had stopped at, a morning dove stood on the farthest merlon just above the embrasure and cooed his sad song into the morning. Zelda turned her head to watch the small gray bird as Ruto leaned through a crenel and began to rant about the boys.

"Oh wow! Do you see that one? He's got nice chestnut hair. And the blue eyes on that one, wow. That guy with the ax has _fine _pecks. Hey, are you even looking? Oh! Who's that in the middle of the circle there? He's fighting against four people and doesn't even seem phased! _Wow!_" Ruto squinted her eyes, raising her hand above them to block the sun. "WOW! Seriously, Zelda would you look at him go? Five, six…he could beat that whole rabble of trainees down there and not break a sweat!"

Zelda looked down at the trainee in question. He was indeed impressive—wielding a wooden sword shaped like a naginata, he seemed to swipe his attackers aside like flies. Zelda squinted, looking a little closer at the soldier in question. "Wait a minute," she said to Ruto. "That trainee is not male at all! She is a woman."

"What?" Ruto glanced at Zelda, and then looked harder at the trainee. Indeed, when she turned around and starting fighting those attacking from behind the princesses could see the rise of breasts beneath her standard-issue trainee uniform. "Oh poo," the zora pouted. "Just when I was starting to get a crush. That dries my fins." She moved on quickly enough, though, focusing on a blond-haired boy doing well in his own way on the other side of the yard.

Zelda, however, stayed where she was. The female trainee had started doing flips and somersaults as she fought. The wooden naginata was like an extension of her arm, and what muscular arms they were. She wore a simple tunic under her standard-issue white trainee tabard, no chainmail, and the short sleeves rode up as she fought, exposing the woman's sculpted biceps. She had white hair tied back in a bun, with four small braids—three woven into the bun, and one beaded and hanging loose on the side of her face. As Zelda watched, the trainee flattened ten foes with a single circular sweep and then used the momentum to dig the tip of the weapon into the ground and vault her body over the heads of those approaching from her right. "Wow…" she whispered under her breath.

"What's that?" Ruto paused in her constant narration long enough to turn to the hylian princess.

Zelda shook her head. "Nothing," she said, quickly looking away from the display.

Ruto looked from Zelda to the female trainee and back. "Uh huh," she said. "Okay, whatever you say."

When Ruto turned back to watching the rest of the trainees, Zelda looked at the woman again. She was just finishing, it appeared, as she had set the butt of her naginata on the ground and was wiping the sweat from her brow with the end of her tabard. Just then, a voice shouted in a commanding tone, and the overseeing office strode over to where the display was taking place. They were too far away for the princesses to hear what he was saying, but his tone sounded positive. The trainee bowed when he was done and went to sit down on the sidelines as the defeated trainees stood up and limped off to the medical building.

Zelda wished that she had gotten them a closer vantage point now. If they were closer, perhaps she could make out what color the woman's eyes were, or what those marks on her face were. As it was, all she could do was squint in the sunlight and try to make out what she could from a distance. As she looked, however, the trainee raised her head and turned her eyes up to where the princesses were watching. Across the yard, their eyes met. Zelda blushed and turned her face away, tilting her head down just enough that her blond hair would shield her face.

"Hey, we need to go," she said, tugging Ruto's arm. "Professor Shaddrick will be waiting. It is time for our Histories."

Ruto sighed, quite overdramatically. "You're killing me, here, Zelly," she said, but when the Hyrulian princess stalked away, going much faster than when she had come, the Zoran princess had no choice but to follow.

!

The day she first saw the white-haired trainee might have been the first time that Zelda went to the training grounds, but it wasn't the last. She returned the next day with her Sheikah Bodyguard, a now-elderly woman named Kishla. The female trainee was practicing again, this time alone off in a corner with a Great Sword made out of real Goron Steel while the others continued practicing with their wooden weapons.

"Her name is Impa," Kishla said.

"Huh?" Zelda replied, not looking up from the trainee. The princess was leaning both of her elbows on a merlon and resting her chin in her hands.

The elderly Sheikah just smiled. "The trainee you're watching. Her name is Impa."

Zelda perked up and turned surprised eyes on her bodyguard. "You know her?" She prompted, her heart jumping in her chest. She hadn't expected anyone to know who the trainee was because most of them were just peasants or younger sons of lesser noblemen who wanted something more out of life.

The princess had been dying to know who she was, but was too afraid to ask for fear of being too obvious in her attentions. Although, Zelda feared that she was already too obvious to those who knew her. She had been distracted during her lessons with Master Shaddrick all afternoon the previous day. It had gotten to the point where he asked her if she needed a break. When Master Owlan asked her if she was feeling ill later in the day, Ruto had grinned at her in a knowing way. The princess just couldn't get the trainee off of her mind, and every spare moment her mind got she felt it drifting away to dwell on the trainee's arms or the way she had leapt in the air while wielding that large weapon as if were a toy.

Kishla chuckled a little. "I should know her, she's the daughter of our tribal leader."

"So she's a Sheikah…" Zelda murmured.

Kishla nodded. "And a very talented young Sheikah at that. As you have noticed, I can see. Captain Raltz gave her permission yesterday to train with real weapons, but only by herself. None of the other trainees, or most of our knights for that matter, can stand against her."

"Wow," Zelda murmured, turning her eyes back to watch the Sheikah practice. "She's really strong."

Kishla nodded. "And fast, and agile, and has a good grasp of water and fire battle magic."

Zelda raised her eyebrows. "Really? How old is she?"

"Twenty and one, your Highness," Kishla responded. "A prodigy, even among our people."

Zelda became quiet, thinking on this new information. For her to be so skilled at such a young age, the Goddesses must have some great purpose for this young Sheikah warrior. Zelda found herself wondering how, if at all, she would play into this Sheikah's destiny.

They stayed for a while longer, but when Impa started to put her Great Sword back in its giant sheath, Zelda quickly left with her bodyguard. The princess felt shy about Impa knowing of her interest. She, herself, wasn't sure why she was so interested. All she knew was that she felt drawn to the Sheikah woman as she had never been drawn to anyone before. Whenever she felt particularly interested in _anyone_, Zelda knew of only one thing to do: keep it a secret.

As long as no one knew that she was interested in the Sheikah trainee, then neither of them had to be bugged with gossipers or moochers. People often tried to get into the princess's inner circle through her friends, or to get gossip about her personal life _from _her friends. The publicity was bad on both sides. Terrible rumors often started about both the princess _and _whoever the friend was. Zelda had lost friends in the past who didn't want the kind of limelight brought on by such fame. It had happened often enough that the princess didn't have many friends and was wary about showing overdue interest in anyone.

Zelda didn't go to the training grounds the next day or the day after that. She threw herself into her studies and tried to find amusement for Princess Ruto that didn't involve going to the training grounds. By the third day of not seeing the Sheikah woman, Zelda was almost starting to feel like herself again. She was in the library reading when Ruto decided she had had enough of the castle and wanted to see the trainees again, whether Zelda was coming or not.

"Come on, Zelda! You need to get out of this musty library!" the zora girl had said.

Zelda flipped a page in her book, pretending to be absorbed in the story. "Not now, this is just getting good," she responded.

Ruto let out an exasperated sigh. "Fine, I'm going without you."

She pranced off, and Zelda set the book down. She wasn't really into it at all. The truth was, she hadn't been able to read much at all that day, despite her best efforts. Every time she tried to focus on the story, her mind would wander to the white-haired woman in the training yard. As if the past two days hadn't been excruciating enough, last night she had _dreamed _about the woman. They had just been talking in a little garden, nothing more than that. Then Impa reached out and touched her hand, and Zelda woke up.

The fourth day, Zelda couldn't take it anymore. Ruto was developing a crush on the blond-haired recruit and asked Zelda, once again, if she wanted to come with her to the yard. This time, to the zora princess's surprise, Zelda agreed. Once again, she quietly watched Impa train, and when the Sheikah was done Zelda left. They repeated this routine the next day, and the next, and the one after that. Every morning, Ruto and Zelda went from the breakfast table to the training yards. Zelda would stand in the shadow of the turret, praying that no one saw her there. Ruto would openly swoon over the trainees, though she refrained from drawing overdue attention to herself at Zelda's earnest behest. Then, when Impa was done training, Zelda would leave through the nearest turret door to prevent detection. Sometimes Ruto left with her, sometimes she didn't. Then they would have their studies, dinner with the King, and a little free time before bed. It soon became their daily routine.

After a couple weeks of this, the blond-haired recruit that Ruto favored was allowed to use real steel as well—a modest sword and shield—and he and Impa would practice against one another. On the battlements, Zelda and Ruto quietly cheered their respective champions. Impa won more often than not, such was her tremendous power and skill, but the blond-haired recruit was never phased. He always got back up, ready to go again. There was incredible courage in his attitude.

The princesses were having a quiet dinner with the King one wet spring day when fate threw a deku stick in Zelda's careful routine. "Zelda, Ruto, I have bad news," said the King, setting down his spoon and pushing away his empty bowl of Pumm's Pumpkin Soup. He was a large man with a thick brown beard and bright blue eyes dressed in a heavy red robe with white trim and a golden crown above his head. He was fierce to look at, and his subjects fondly called him the King of Red Lions. For all that he appeared imposing to those who didn't know him, however, or to those upon whom his wrath was turned, to his daughter he was always her big teddy bear of a father. Still, lately be had been a little more distant and gruff than usual. Kishla assured her that there were grave matters of state weighing on his mind and cautioned the young princess not to trouble him too much until the matter was settled.

Zelda set her spoon down and folded her hands in her lap. "Yes, father?" she asked, keeping her face carefully blank. There had been a troubled atmosphere about the entire castle of late, and the Advisors and Councilmen—which included Kishla—had been locked up in long meetings and war councils. Still, although the military was running extra drills and every scouting unit and solider who could be reallocated to scouting for a while was out who knows where looking for who knew what, most of the military was just staying on guard. No information had been released outside the meetings, not even to her. The servants whispered that there were signs of the approach of the next Divine Cycle. All eyes were turned toward Hyrule Castle—and Zelda's were turned to her father, awaiting the moment he would finally choose to tell her what was going on.

"I hate to tell you during supper, Zelda, but Kishla came to me today," said King Daphnes. "She has been diagnosed with a disease of the bones called arthritis. It causes the joins to stiffen and be very painful. She feels that she can no longer adequately perform her duties and has requested retirement."

Zelda sighed and frowned. That was not what she had hoped to hear. Not that this was _good_ news, but she would obviously have to keep waiting to find out what was going on behind the closed door of Hyrule Castle. "I know what arthritis is, father. I keep up on recent medical discoveries."

"Yes, well. Even so, the situation stands. I am going to allow her retirement. She has served us for many years, serving your mother before you, and she deserves whatever comforts we can provide her."

Zelda nodded. "I agree," she said, her voice growing quiet. "Although I will miss her. She has been as a mother to me."

King Daphnes nodded. The servants were bringing out a dessert course for them to finish their dinner off with. "I understand, honey," he said. "And we are not going to rush the selection. This person will be with you day and night, so it behooves us if you get along."

"I know someone!" Ruto piped up. Something in the way that she smiled made Zelda's gut churn. _No no no,_ she thought. _Don't say anything about Impa! Don't say anything about Impa!_ She gave Ruto a scathing look, and the zora girl hesitated for a moment.

"Yes?" King Daphnes prompted when Ruto paused. "Who do you think will be suitable for the position? A Zoran guard from your own kingdom perhaps?"

Princess Ruto shot Zelda a malicious smile over her shoulder. Zelda could have died right there. "Not a Zora, your Grace," she said to the King. "A trainee who shows particular skill. You daughter has taken an interest in her, although they have not yet spoken."

King Daphnes nodded thoughtfully, stroking his long white beard. "Yes, yes, now what was her name? Impa. I know of this trainee. My generals and captains speak highly of her skills, and Kishla mentioned her as a potential replacement just today, as a matter of fact. This is a good idea, Rutella, an excellent prospect. The Sheikah do have a long history as servants to the royal family, did you know that? And yet they have _not_ _spoken_, you say? Then how can we know they are compatible?" He slammed his large hands on the table and smiled, picking up his fork to delve into the custard they had just brought out. "Well then, it's settled."

Zelda had the grace to suppress her anger and her humiliation. She kept her features very straight as she responded. "What is settled, father?" she asked, her tone as even as possible.

"Why, you will meet this young soldier of course," said the King. "Spend time with her. Get to know her. She is set to be promoted to base-level infantry next week, a full three years before the rest of her class. I do not see why this exceptional young Sheikah could not be in your service, especially if you have an interest in her. You so rarely have an interest in anyone, my sweet."

"I—" despite herself, Zelda's voice cracked. She took a drink of water to clear her throat before she tried again. "I am grateful, father, but certainly someone of a higher rank should guard me?"

"Nonsense," Ruto said, as the King's mouth was full of a bite of custard at the moment. "If she's able, then why does rank matter?"

King Daphnes swallowed. "It matters, young Rutella, but that is a lesson better heard from Master Horwell than from me. Zelda, if she pleases you then she may continue her training while in your service. From what I have heard of her, she will move up in the ranks faster than you think."

Zelda could think of no other protests. She had lost her appetite, so she sat in silence while Ruto and her father finished eating. When they were done and the king had excused them, Zelda and Ruto walked out of the dining hall together. Zelda waited until the large oaken doors were shut and they had turned a couple hallways before she rounded on the Zora princess.

"How dare you?!" she said, struggling not to raise her voice. "If I had wanted Impa I would have said so myself!" She had backed Ruto against the wall and was jabbing her pointer finger at her as she spoke.

Ruto crossed her arms over her chest and rolled her eyes. "No, you wouldn't have. I know you well enough to know that. You would have picked someone _dull_ and _capable_, and I would have been stuck with them. At least she's interesting. And you do like her, I think."

"She interests me, it's different," Zelda murmured, backing down from her anger for just a moment. Then she let the edge back into her voice. "But you_ knew_ I did not want anyone to know of this, Ruto. _You knew!_"

"Whatever," said the Zora Princess. "I don't know why you're being so weird about her anyway. If she were a man, like that blond trainee for example, I'd understand why you're overreacting. A cute boy can do that. But Impa is a woman, and _you_ are a hylian."

Zelda cast her eyes downward. "You do not understand," she said, but all the fury had gone out of her. She really didn't understand herself, but she also wasn't examining it today. She sighed. "What is done is done," she said, then turned and walked away. She left the zora princess alone and went off to the library. Between Ruto's betrayal and her father's continued silence on matters he used to discuss with her, Zelda felt like could use some alone time with her best friends. At least the characters in books didn't keep secrets from you or betray your trust when you gave it to them.

**0000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

**Author's Notes for my Doppelganger Trilogy readers:** I KNOW it's not the next chapter of Stasis, and I KNOW you're probably mad about that. But I promise that Stasis will be much better when I have this story out of my head. I'm still doing Nanowrimo with Stasis, so it'll get at least 50,000 words down by December 1st. Happy? So, I hope that you all enjoy this little sidequest for the time being. :)

**Author's Note for everyone else: **Hello, and welcome to the obsession overtaking all of my free time and my entire writing life. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and will enjoy chapters to come. It's mostly written, as a matter of fact, so there shouldn't be too long of waits between chapters. Zelimpa, if you can't already tell, with no zelink bashing because I still love that pairing too…just not in this game…and length-wise, plan on this being a Novella length.

****Please read and review! And if you enjoy my writing, please check out my major work, the Doppelganger Trilogy. You can find books 1 and 2 completed on my profile.****


	2. Chapter 2

*****ALL STANDARD DISCLAIMERS APPLY****

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**In Sotto Voce**

_By Jennifer Wolfe (aka The Wolfess)_

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**Chapter 2**

The next day, King Daphnes and his advisors were shut up in meetings again. Kishla stayed for the first few hours of deliberations, but soon left to return to the Sheikah City to discuss the changes in her role. For a few days, at least, Princess Zelda would be mostly unguarded, with the exception of a pair of guards who stood outside the doors of whatever room the princess was inside. While the doors to the Great Hall remained shut, the king wasted no time finding Kishla's replacement. He set his event planners to work figuring out when, where, and how the princess and the Sheikah trainee would meet.

They decided that Impa and the princess would meet over lunch, and so an invitation was extended. After all, they figured, what was a better way for two women to get to know each other than over a light luncheon with tea? They completely overlooked the fact that Impa was a warrior, not a 'Lady' in the proper sense of the word, so a quaint luncheon might be a little awkward for her. They also overlooked the fact that no matter how Zelda and Impa would meet, the princess was convinced that there were much more important things going on in Hyrule Castle than her own petty affairs. Still, if her father wanted to keep up this ruse of normality in the country then she would play along. Delaying meeting the trainee wouldn't make her father any likelier to cancel it all together.

When the day of the luncheon came, Ruto helped Zelda choose what to wear. They went through at least half of Zelda's quite large royal wardrobe before they found something that would work. Zelda chose a modest lilac dress with a light pull over to cover her shoulders. It was pattered with little flowers done in an elegant fashion with a darker violet thread. The color brought out her fair skin and dark-colored blue eyes, while the cut flattered her figure while still appearing modest enough for a princess.

"You're as nervous as a girl before her first date," Ruto said as they went through jewelry. Zelda decided to go light on jewelry for this outfit, hoping for a few pieces that would set off the dress and bring out the gold in her hair. "Like I said, you're being weird about this."

"I know I am," Zelda said. Ruto was doing the clasp on the latest necklace option. "I do not know _why,_ Ruto, only that I feel so nervous that I fear I might faint. I want to make a good impression."

Ruto stepped back to look at the hylian princess. "That's the one, Zelly, I just know it." Zelda didn't like that nickname, but Ruto didn't care so Zelda just ignored it now. "And you_ will_ make a good impression. Wearing this, if she were a man you'd knock her dead."

Zelda sighed. "Thank you, Ruto. And I agree on the necklace," she glanced up at the wooden Terminian clock on the wall. "Well, looks like it should be about time." She swallowed and walked to the door. Ruto followed her out, planning to spend some extra time at the training grounds while Zelda was off at lunch. Before they parted, Zelda stopped. "Wish me luck," she said to the zora princess.

Ruto waved. "Yeah, luck, now go! You'll be late."

The location of their lunch was not far. The planners had chosen the east-facing solar, close to Zelda's bedroom, knowing the princess would likely be running late. She always thought too long about what to wear to social events. They also chose this room because it would have good lighting at the lunch hour and it was smaller and cozier for intimate chats. It had been informally known as the Queen's Solar for centuries.

Zelda stopped just outside the door. "Good afternoon," she whispered under her breath. "Hello, how do you do? Greetings, merry day is it not? Hi, how are ya? Cheers?" She sighed and shook her head. None of it sounded right. Steeling herself, she put a hand on the handle and took a deep breath. She composed her features, checked her clothing and jewelry once more, and then pulled the door open.

Impa was standing at the window with her hands clasped behind her back. She didn't have her Great Sword with her, but she appeared to be dressed in a style of Sheikah every day wear that also doubled as a battle uniform. It was a turquoise outfit with yellow arrows on the thighs that pointed upward. The top of the outfit had a strap that went over one shoulder while the rest of the fabric just wrapped around and tucked into the ornate armor belt that covered her midsection. There were golden rings secured by red-orange fabric tied to the belt from which a few large red-orange feathers hung. She wore plates of armor on her shins and arms as well, of a similar style to her belt, which covered her arms from shoulder to hand, and her legs from knee to ankle. Under the armor, she wore bracers and fingerless gloves. Around her neck, a black cowl was wrapped comfortably and tied with yellow and red beads.

At the sound of the door, the Sheikah trainee turned around. Zelda's breath caught in her throat. The front of the outfit left Impa's shoulders and chest mostly bare. The turquoise material covered one breast, but only a small piece of armor decorated with the Sheikah Eye and some bandages wrapped tight about her chest covered the other one. Her skin under the armor was smooth and tanned, her stance somehow powerful and elegant at once.

The Hyrulian princess found that she could not speak at all. She stood there in the doorway like an idiot and stared. Impa seemed to take this as a social cue. She crossed the space between them, her intense red eyes cast downward, and went down on one knee before Zelda. She placed her left fist over her heart in a soldier's salute, and held the other hand out to the princess, palm up.

"Your Highness, I am truly honored to be in your presence," she said. Zelda snapped out of it and placed her bare hand in the Sheikah's. The skin of their fingers touched. Zelda suppressed the urge to shiver as a jolt of something queerly like lightning sprang through her fingertips where they had made contact with Impa's skin.

"Thank you," Zelda finally managed to say. "Please, rise. Such formalities are not necessary."

Impa took her hand out of Zelda's and stood. The princess wished that she had waited just a moment longer to let the trainee remove her hand. That was until their eyes met, and the hylian princess got the chance to see bright red of Impa's eyes directly. They were so much livelier than the color of Kishla's old eyes, and there was an intensity in her gaze as she looked at the princess's face that made Zelda feel light headed.

"Hello," Zelda croaked in a meek tone as she clasped her hands together in front of her.

Impa smiled, half in amusement. "Hello, Princess Zelda," she said. They were still standing in the entryway, their bodies standing a little closer together than was customary.

Zelda smiled back, before she remembered her manners and realized how close they were. "Forgive me," she said, stepping back and suppressing the urge to blush. "I seem to have forgotten all my manners. Would you like to sit? The servants will be bringing lunch soon." She motioned to the small table set for two near the window.

Impa did a half bow. "I would love to," she said. They crossed over to the table, and Impa held out the chair for Zelda before sitting in her own chair. The servants brought out the first course, a light salad and some tea. Once they had poured the tea, the servants left, and the two girls were alone again.

They ate their salads in silence. Zelda's heart was fluttering in her chest and she couldn't think of a single word to say. Impa ate with one hand in her lap, her intense red eyes never leaving the princess's face. Finally, Zelda set her salad fork down. She licked her lips and laced her fingers together in her lap. "I suppose you have heard why you have been summoned today?" she asked.

Impa set her fork down as well. "Actually, I was not told much, your Highness. They mentioned that Elder Kishla is retiring from your service, and the King wanted you and I to meet to discuss it. That was all, I believe."

"Please, call me Zelda," the princess said. She was happy that they had not told Impa about Zelda's undue interest in her of the past few weeks.

"Zelda, then," Impa said, seeming to linger over the syllables of the princess's name a little.

Zelda did blush this time, but only a little. She picked her salad fork back up and busied herself with eating a few more bites. When she was done, she looked back up to Impa's face. The sheikah was looking down as she ate the rest of her salad. Zelda took the opportunity to examine her features. She had a red tattoo around her left eye. The edge of the eye was traced in red, with a single line extending out the side in a little curl. Above her eyebrow was a smaller red outline of a triangle, and below the eye was a larger, solid red triangle that seemed to extend down almost to the corner of her mouth with two tiny solid triangles on either side. The right eye seemed to have some red around it as well, but it wasn't as pronounced as the left side.

"Kishla told me that your name is Impa. Is that correct?" Zelda said, by way of starting the conversation.

"Yes, that is indeed my name," Impa answered.

Zelda tapped her fingertips together under the table. "It is quite a historied name," she said, her voice sounding a little nervous. "There are many legendary Sheikah women who have borne that name."

Impa nodded. "Yes, that is true. They are my ancestors, and I enjoy reading about them."

"You like reading?" Zelda asked, tilting her head to the side a little. "It is rare that I meet a warrior who enjoys books."

Impa inclined her head. "I do read when I can. I suppose that makes me not your typical warrior, then?"

Zelda smiled, her shoulders starting to relax a little. "I will have to discuss books with you sometime," she said. "For today, however, I would very much like to know more about you, Impa. I have…seen you practice in the yard. You are very skilled."

Just then, the servants brought the main course out. It was a pasta salad with chunks of cheese, ham, and celery mixed in with pasta, tuna, and a light sauce. Zelda took the excuse to do something with her hands and ate while Impa talked.

"There is not much to tell, I'm afraid," the Sheikah began. "I grew up in the Sheikah village of Kakariko. I began to study weapons and exhibit magical abilities at the age of eight. By seventeen, I had surpassed all of our instructors in the magical battle arts and was sent to Hyrule to study under a sage named Rauru. I lived and studied with him until the about a year ago, when I enlisted in the Hyrulian Army."

"Why the army?" Zelda asked. "Someone with your skill would surely go elsewhere to perform great deeds for the world."

It was Impa's turn to blush a little. "I am honored by your praise, your Highness. I mean, Zelda."

Zelda smiled. Perhaps, she realized, Impa was just as nervous as she was. "I merely speak truth. I have never seen a warrior with such power and grace before."

Impa didn't seem to have a reply. They ate the rest of their lunch while exchanging some light chatter about the weather and recent events around the castle. Eventually the servants took their plates away and left the girls alone with a teapot and couple teacups. There would be no more interruptions. If Zelda was ever going to tell Impa the true reason for their lunch, the time was now.

"I must confess, Impa," the princess began. "My father has a specific reason for wanting us to share lunch today, and it was not to talk about the weather." They both laughed a little, and then Zelda continued. "Kishla is retiring, as you know. We need to find a replacement to be my bodyguard. Traditionally, the position has always been held by a Sheikah, and your name was brought up as a potential candidate. It was not at all because of your race, however, I assure you. My father's military leaders have spoken highly of your skills to him, and Kishla directly recommended you."

This was where the telling got difficult, and Zelda's stomach churned with nerves. What if she said no? What if they weren't compatible? Ignoring the sick feeling that was coming upon her, Zelda continued. "Now, this position is very unique. My bodyguard is with me day and night. Kishla has not been around as much because of her illness of late and duties as an advisor to the Crown, but traditionally every waking hour, seen or unseen, my bodyguard is at my side. We eat together. We sleep in the same or adjoining rooms, depending on the bodyguard's gender. You would attend my classes with me, social functions, read with me in the library, and in the unlikely event of a battle we would be side by side, as if conjoined at the hip. As you would expect, because of the nature of this position it is important to my father that the person chosen be someone that I get along with. He would like us to spend time together and get to know one another in order to see if we are compatible."

Impa's eyebrows had raised as Zelda spoke. Now that she was done, the Sheikah opened her mouth to speak, and then closed it again when nothing came out. "My Lady," she finally said, her voice strangely strained. "I don't know what to say."

Zelda cast her eyes down at the lacey tablecloth. Under the table, she clutched the fabric of her dress in both hands. "It is too much to ask," she said, her voice soft as she fought the sorrow trying to enter her tone. "I understand. I shall inform my father that you do not desire the position." The princess stood to leave, hoping to exit gracefully before any tears might betray her.

Before she took two steps away from the table, however, a hand found her own. Zelda turned to see Impa half-standing up from her chair, her hand extended to hold Zelda's. Her grip was firm but gentle, and her expression was somehow tender. "I'm afraid that I have not communicated my meaning," she said, her voice quiet as she stood the rest of the way up from her chair. She looked the princess directly in the eyes. "I am…" she paused, searching for the right words, "overjoyed by the offer. Honored. Amazed. Humbled." She looked down at their joined hands, but did not let go. "I'm just a trainee. I never expected a privilege such as this. I would be most grateful…and pleased…to spend time with you."

A smile crept onto Zelda's face. "You…you would?" she asked, knowing it sounded dumb. But needed to hear her say yes, just one more time.

Impa nodded. The pad of her thumb brushed over Zelda's knuckles once, and then she dropped the princess's hand. "Yes, Zelda. I would be delighted to get to know you."

The princess's smile turned into a grin. She held the hand that Impa had touched up to her chest for a moment, and then let it fall to her side. "Thank you," she said. Impa just nodded in reply. Zelda glanced from the Sheikah's face to the window and then back. "It's a beautiful day outside. Would you like to take a walk with me?"

"I would like to go anywhere you desire," Impa replied, to which Zelda blushed again. The Sheikah almost seemed like she was enjoying making the princess blush. They left the solar and just started walking. Zelda wasn't really paying attention to where they went, and Impa just followed where the princess led. They talked about themselves and about their interests, great and small. They talked about books and weapons and history. They even briefly talked about the hushed meetings and the rumors circulating about it. Zelda soon discovered that not only was Impa strong and kind and beautiful, she was also smart. The princess had never met anyone quite like her.

By the time that dusk began to fall, they were out on the battlements of the Castle wandering at a leisurely pace. The sun began to set, and it painted the sky red, orange, and pink behind them. Zelda looked at it and said "Oh!"

Impa stopped. "Is everything okay?" she said, her voice suddenly serious.

Zelda nodded her head and smiled. "I am fine," she said. "I just realized that I missed supper with my father as we have been walking. Ruto will be furious with me."

Impa smiled. "She sounds like a unique person," she remarked.

"Yes, very," Zelda said. "You can meet her tomorrow, if you would like. We can pick you up at the trainee's barracks tomorrow morning."

Impa bowed a little. "That would be wonderful, your Highness," she said. "However, the barracks are not a place for two Ladies such as yourselves. I can meet you in the hall just outside where you breakfast with your father, if it pleases you."

"It does please me," Zelda answered. She fell quiet for a moment, looking up at Impa's face with a small smile on her lips. The sunset was behind Impa, and the colors set off the red in her eyes and reflected off of her silver-white hair. "You must be hungry," the princess finally said. "I should let you go eat and rest."

Impa nodded. "Perhaps that would be wise," she agreed.

"I suppose this is goodnight, then." Zelda held out her hand, and Impa bent over it in a Lord's bow, took Zelda's hand in her own, and brushed her lips over the princess's skin in a chaste and proper kiss. Lords and knights had done the same thing countless times over the princess's lifetime, it should have been nothing new to her, but Zelda's heart jumped a little all the same.

"Goodnight Zelda," Impa said. "I will see you in the morning, then."

Zelda nodded. She began to take her leave, but turned back to the departing sheikah at the last minute. "Impa?" she said.

"Yes, my Lady?" the trainee asked, turning to look back at the princess.

"I very much enjoyed your company today," Zelda said. "Thank you for spending time with me."

Impa did another half-bow. "The pleasure was all mine, princess."

! #$%^&*()

When Impa returned to the barracks that night, she went right to bed. She wanted to be fresh and ready for the princess the next morning, and she would need to get her training done very early if she was to spend the whole day with Zelda. The sheikah still wanted to aspire to a higher office, even if she did end up in Zelda's personal service. Truth be told, as flattered as she was by the offer, she also didn't feel worthy of it. The princess deserved some captain or lieutenant by her side, someone who was more experienced and decorated than herself. She deserved the best that the army had to offer, and Impa wasn't sure that she was it.

Still, as she lay on her bed in the dark, alone with her thoughts, the sheikah felt glad that the princess had chosen her. She was sure that it was the princess, not just the King, who had made the choice. After all, Zelda had been coming to watch Impa train for the past month. She thought she was being sneaky, but Impa was a sheikah and she knew the whole time. Day after day she felt the princess's eyes upon her, watching from the shadows, and something within Impa felt like she needed to fight harder, move faster, be stronger. It was as if she wanted to become a warrior with the strength to be worthy of such a beautiful woman's interest, able to protect her from the evil that was in the world.

Suddenly, there was a knock in Impa's door. As the only female trainee in the barracks this year, Impa had the space to herself. She sat up and called for the person to come in. The door opened a crack, and the blond head of her young training partner popped in.

"Am I intruding?" he asked, flashing a smile.

Impa shook her head. "No, Link, you're never intruding. I couldn't sleep anyway."

Link came in and closed the door behind him. They both wore simple trainee tunics to bed, like everyone else did. The young orphan boy was the only person strong enough or skilled enough to spar with Impa, and they had become fast friends shortly after he joined the army. Impa appreciated the boy's honesty and kindness, and he appreciated her acceptance and expertise. He was only seventeen and hadn't had any formal training, but he was enthusiastic and had natural talent. So far they were advancing at about the same rate through the training program.

Link sat on the unoccupied bed across from Impa's. "So, how did it go? Your day with the princess. Is she as beautiful up close as she looks from a distance?"

Impa smiled. "More so," she said. She looked past Link, staring at the wall as if Zelda's face was right there in front of her. "She's as radiant as the stars," she murmured, her tone soft. "And she's kind, and smart, and sensitive. She was a little shy at first, but once she grew comfortable we talked all day. Really, Link, she's unbelievable."

"Did she say why she's been watching you?" he asked. Link was the only other person who had noticed that Zelda visited the training grounds every day, and Impa had sworn him to secrecy. If the princess wished to remain anonymous about her visits, no one would find out from either of them.

Impa shook her head. "She didn't mention it. I'm not going to press her if she does not desire to speak of it."

"I don't know why it would be an issue," he said, shrugging. "Ruto watches me every day, and sometimes the King comes to watch us train. They're scouting for talent. What does she think she's hiding?"

Impa shook her head. "I don't know. But I do know why she summoned me."

Link leaned forward. "And?" he prompted.

Impa let herself grin. "Her bodyguard, Elder Kishla, is retiring. The King wants me to take her place, but only if Zelda and I get along. So we're to spend time together, get to know each other."

Link's jaw dropped. "Are you kidding me?" he said. He stood up and held his hands out in front of him. "Are you KIDDING me right now?! Seriously, Impa, that's awesome!"

Impa stood and put a finger to her lips. "Shhhh," she said. "You'll wake the barracks! I don't think she wants people to know right now."

Link sat back down, but he didn't stop smiling. "Fine, but I still say way to go. You're not even out of training yet, and they're giving you the most honored position in the army. That's a lifetime appointment. Hey, are you sure that's the direction you wanted to go in? It would stop your aspirations of becoming a General one day, or your ability to leave the army and do other things."

Impa sat down as well. She leaned back against the headboard, folding her hands behind her head. "You know, before I met her I would have said no. Trailing a princess isn't what I pictured myself doing with my life, you know?" Link nodded, and Impa continued. "But, once I met her…I don't know…it's like there's a magnet in us that is pulling us together. Like I don't have a choice, and suddenly I don't want one. The Sheikah Elders would say that the Goddesses' plans are coming to fruition. Or something like that at least, about it being the call of destiny."

Link didn't seem to know what to say to that. After sitting quietly for a little, he asked, "so, when are you going to see her next?"

"I'm meeting her tomorrow morning," Impa answered. "I will meet her after breakfast and we are to spend the day together."

Link yawned and stood up. "Well, you'll have to tell me how it goes," he said as she stretched. "I'd better get to bed. I just wanted to see how it went."

"Yeah, we both should," Impa agreed. "Big day tomorrow. Hey, thank you for stopping by." Impa stood and held out her hand to him. Link shook it, and then he left. The sheikah laid back down on her bed and stared into the darkness of the barracks. If she got this position, her whole life would change. Zelda would _be _her life. A part of her felt slightly scared by that prospect, but then there was this other part of her. The other part whispered that this was what she was meant to do. That, somehow, Zelda was a part of her destiny. It was wonderful and terrifying at the same time.

**0000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

**Author's Notes:** Thank you so much everyone for the positive reception of the first chapter! I'm amazed by the number of people who aren't really into this pairing but are reading it because they enjoy my writing. Thank you very much, that's a huge complement to me! I hope that you enjoy it, and thank you for understanding the slight delay in Stasis updates. :)

In other news, yey for Link! I can't write a Zelda fanfic without having Link be a main character. I normally ship Zelink in every other Zelda game (well, Skyward Sword was kinda borderline…there was some definite subtext on Impa's part at least!) But the evidence for Zelimpa in Hyrule Warriors is just so overwhelming! Not that Zelink isn't in HW too, but I think you could make equally strong cases either way.

If you don't know what I'm talking about, just lookup Zelimpa on tumblr. They will educate you. Lol.

Expect the next chapter next week-ish. Because I'm obsessed and can't stop until it's done. It's not like I've waited **fifteen years** for a legitimate, shippable, not creepy, _almost_-canon, adorable lesbian couple in a Zelda game that I can relate to or anything….

Thanks for reading and please review!

~Jennifer Wolfe (aka The Wolfess)

****If you enjoy my writing, please check out my major work, the Doppelganger Trilogy. You can find books 1 and 2 completed on my profile.****


	3. Chapter 3

*****ALL STANDARD DISCLAIMERS APPLY****

!

**In Sotto Voce**

_By Jennifer Wolfe (aka The Wolfess)_

!

**Chapter 3**

At breakfast the next morning, Princess Zelda was more cheery and talkative than she had been in a while. It did not go unnoticed by Princess Ruto or by King Daphnes, who was looking gray-faced and worn out at the end of the table. After a little while, the king dabbed his mouth clean with his napkin and finally asked the question that was on both of their minds. "We missed you at dinner last night," he started. "How did your lunch with the trainee go? What was her name again…."

"Impa, father, and it was wonderful," Zelda answered, her voice filled with excitement. "I already knew that she was strong, but she also reads and enjoys riding horse and all sorts of things. We were having such a good time talking that we completely forgot dinner until the sunset reminded us of the time."

"Well, let's hope you don't forget another dinner!" Ruto said, glaring slightly. The zora princess felt very uncomfortable when left alone to talk to the King. Zelda didn't know what her problem was.

"I shall try," Zelda said. Turning back to her father, she returned to the subject of Impa. "I really do like her, father."

The King smiled. "That is good to hear, my dear," he said. "I will tell you what. Spend this week with her. If at the end of the week you still enjoy her company, then I will talk to Captain Raltz, her supervising officer, about the promotion."

Zelda was so happy that she jumped out of her chair, walked over to King Daphnes, and gave him a big hug. He looked surprised and slightly awkward as he patted her back. "Thank you, father!" she said, grinning from ear to ear and stepping back. "Speaking of Impa, she is waiting outside the door for me to finish breakfast. May I have your leave to go?"

The King waved her away, laughing a little. "Go, go! Off with you! Have fun, my sweet princess, and be safe."

"I will father!" Zelda called over her shoulder. She was already halfway to the door.

Ruto looked from the retreating princess to the king and back. "Hey, Zelly! Wait for me!" she called out. Saying a quick pardon to the king, she left her food half eaten and rushed out of the breakfast hall after her blond-haired friend.

Sure enough, even though Zelda had left breakfast early the sheikah was waiting for her. The princess found Impa leaning against a nearby wall, her Great Sword strapped to her back. She was wearing her trainee tunic and white tabard today and appeared slightly sweaty.

Impa smiled and pushed herself off the wall when she saw Zelda exit the breakfast hall. "Good morning, Zelda," she said as the blond princess walked over to her.

As she was coming to expect to be normal, Zelda's heart fluttered a little as she stood near Impa and the sheikah flashed that brilliant smile at her. "Good morning, yourself," she said, unable to stop herself from grinning like an idiot. She had been up half the night thinking about the day they shared yesterday and what they would do on the morrow. "Did you sleep well?" she asked.

"Briefly, but yes," Impa replied. Ruto approached the pair as Impa continued. "I woke up early to get my training in before I met you. I apologize for my appearance. It went late, and I feared that if I showered and changed I would miss you."

Zelda shook her head. "I do not mind," she said. Truth be told, she liked seeing Impa without her armor and decoration. It was dressed as a trainee when the two princesses had first noticed her across the yard. "By the way, Impa, this is Princess Ruto of the Zora people. She is my father's ward for the next few years. I mentioned her to you yesterday."

Impa bowed. "Well met, my Lady," she said.

Ruto put a hand on her hip. "Oh, don't do that," she said. "I'm not a 'my Lady' at all. Just call me Ruto and I won't have to slap you."

"Ruto!" Zelda snapped, glaring at the fish-girl.

Impa laughed. "It's okay, Zelda," she said, still chuckling. She bowed a little at the Zora princess. "I will be sure to call you just Ruto from now on, unless otherwise instructed."

Ruto crossed her arms. "I think I like her already," she said to Zelda. "I can see why you were so thrilled to tell you your father all about her this morning." The blond princess blushed and shot daggers at the zora with her eyes. Ruto ignored the look, but she didn't miss the way that Impa smiled when the color crept into Zelda's cheeks, nor the way that they unconsciously stood slightly closer together.

"You told the King about me?" Impa asked Zelda, still smiling at the princess's blush.

Zelda only turned redder than before. Ruto resisted the urge to roll her eyes. _These two are as bad as young lovers with a first crush,_ she thought, but she kept her observations to herself for once.

"Yes, I did tell him about you," Zelda said, tucking a lock of blond hair behind her ear. "He asked how our day went, since I was absent at supper. I had only good things to say."

"Well, thank you," Impa said, crossing her arms in front of her. "I hope that I am as interesting today as I apparently was yesterday."

"Okay, okay, enough you two. Third person in the room, remember?" Ruto interrupted. "What are we going to do today, huh?"

Zelda folded her hands in front of her. "Well, I thought we could go riding around Hyrule field. With Impa around, we will be more than protected."

Ruto threw up her hands. "FINALLY!" she exclaimed. "Something different! Thank you IMPA! I thought I was going to die of boredom."

Impa chuckled, clearly amused by the Zora princess. "It sounds lovely, and I would be honored to be the escort of two princesses for a day." She grinned at them both.

Zelda had the attendants ready the horses while she and Ruto retired to their rooms to change into riding gear. Impa waited in the hall. Changed and ready to go, the three women hurried out to the stables and mounted their horses. It was a sunny day, perfect for a ride. Impa trailed behind and kept an eye out while the two princesses led the way. They rode around the field for a while, and then down to the shores of Lake Hylia and up to Faron Woods. As they wandered through the large trees and around the huge form of the Deku Tree, Zelda's brow furrowed.

"Do you see that?" she said, pulling up on the reins of her white mare. Ruto and Impa also stopped. They looked around, but neither of them saw what the princess was seeing. Zelda pointed upward at the canopy of the Deku Tree. "His leaves," she explained. "They are dying."

Sure enough, when Impa and Ruto looked closer they could see that Zelda was right. His leaves were turning red and brown, and a few had already fallen. Ruto's fins flickered in a kind of shiver. "What could cause that?" she asked, her voice a whisper.

Impa frowned. "An evil wind," she said. "The leaves of the Deku Tree only fall when evil has come into the world."

Zelda nodded. "The turning of the next Divine Cycle. The servants have been gossiping about 'signs' of it. I suppose this is our confirmation." Her eyes met Impa's with a gaze that was heavy with implied meaning. Ruto may not be read enough to know what that meant on the large scale, but the princess was sure that Impa did.

"If that is true," started the sheikah, spinning her mount around to look in different directions, "then we should leave this forest immediately. It is tainted by the touch of evil and could be a new home to evil creatures."

Ruto shivered again. "Fine by me. This place is giving me the creeps now anyway."

They turned their mounts toward the nearest exit, and Impa kept a careful eye around them as they left. She noted the sickly brownish moss growing on the tree trunks and the gray appearance to the once well-lit forest. She also noted the lack of living activity. No birds sang, no small creatures moved, no bugs floated through the air, nothing. Faron Forest was lifeless, sickly, and dying. This was not a good sign.

When they were out of the forest, they turned their mounts back toward Hyrule Castle. The desire to ride had left them all. They skirted around the edge of the volcanic Eldin fields on their way back, where Zelda paused just long enough to look for similar signs of sickness there. Unable to see anything from the distance they were at and unwilling to traverse such dangerous lands, they moved on. The princess rode in silence while Ruto and Impa talked about other things, mulling over what they had seen and its implications for herself.

!

They reached the castle late and soon parted. Impa went to have supper with the trainees in the barracks, and the princesses had a quiet supper with the King. None of them were particularly talkative, and they passed most of it in silence. Afterward, the two princesses sat in their nightgowns in Zelda's room. There was a chill in the air, so a servant crouched by the hearth working on a fire. "So, Impa," Ruto said, cutting to the chase after the servant had left.

Zelda snapped out of her thoughts and blinked. "What about her?" she asked.

Ruto rolled her eyes. "Come on, Zel. I don't think you two need a week. You're practically smitten with each other."

Zelda furrowed her brow for the second time that day. "I do not know what you mean," she said, honestly. She liked being around Impa, but she didn't know if 'smitten' was quite the word.

"Sure you don't," Ruto rolled her eyes. "All those sparks flying, I'm surprised you two don't start fires when you come within two feet of each other."

Zelda started at her with a blank expression.

"Wait…" Ruto blinked. "Wait, you really don't know, do you?"

Zelda shook her head. "What sparks? She only knows fire and water magic, not electric. And she seems to be well in control of her power."

Ruto's eyes got wide and she nodded her head. "Wow," she said, drawing out the word. "Well, never mind I guess." She got up, obviously not interested in hanging out with the hylian princess if there wasn't juicy gossip involved. "Someday when you do figure out what I'm talking about, Zel, come talk to me," she said before she left. "The Zoras are a more…fluid people. It's not so uncommon there."

Zelda looked utterly confused. "Fluid people? What are you talking about? You are an aquatic race, of course your people are fluid."

Ruto grinned. "It's okay, Zelly. You read a lot of books, and I know some of those are more on the…romantic side. Or some clinical study of the similarities between Zora, Sheikah, and Gerudo cultures, perhaps. Either way, you'll come across it someday." With that, she left before Zelda could say anything in reply. The princess sat on her bed beneath her big comforter and hugged her knees into her chest, staring into the fire. She tried to puzzle out Ruto's cryptic words, but soon she found her mind drifting off to the topics it seemed to love best these days: the evil presence in they had discovered in Faron Forest, and Impa. Laden with worry and emotion as she was, it wasn't long before the hylian girl laid back on her pillows and fell asleep.

! #$%^&*()

For the next three days, the princess and the trainee met in the same place at the same time. Zelda had tried to push her father into talking to her about what was going on in his meetings, knowing that they would be related to what she saw in Faron Forest and perhaps she could help, but he refused to budge and just encouraged her to focus on her schoolwork or finding a suitable bodyguard. As frustrated as she was by his silence, she was glad to have an excuse to get to know the sheikah better without feeling too guilty about ignoring the state of the world for the sake of her own pleasure.

The princess tried to have something planned for their amusement, but soon their respective duties started to get in the way of her plans. Impa had to accompany Zelda to her classes on the fifth day, which prevented them from talking much at all. Luckily the sheikah seemed to be interested in what the Masters were teaching. She took notes and helped Zelda to study later in the evening. Then, on the sixth day, Impa had to prepare for her final test to take place the next morning. Zelda sat on the sidelines in the yard, no longer caring about whether they were seen together or not. If the whole of Hyrule didn't already know about this "trial period" then the servants weren't peddling their gossip well enough.

Halfway through her training routine, Impa stopped and sheathed her Great Sword. Sweaty and red-faced, she came over to Zelda with a young man at her side, the blond that Ruto liked so much. "Thank you for staying," said the sheikah as she stopped just short of the princess. "I really need to train. I'm nervous about tomorrow."

Zelda shook her head. "No thanks needed," she said, flashing Impa a smile. "You helped me yesterday and now you have a big test of your own. I do not think you should worry, though. You are much better than any other knight I have seen." She paused, and then added, in sotto voce, "I do enjoy watching you though."

Impa bit her lip, smiling a little, and then cleared her throat. "Actually, I'd like to introduce you to my sparring partner," she said. Link stepped up beside her, smiling politely. "His name is Link, and he's pretty exceptional himself. He is one of the few I call friend."

Zelda smiled and held out her hand. Link took it and bowed. "Hello Link," Zelda said. "It is nice to meet you."

"You as well, your Majesty," he said, smiling at her.

"We were just going to take a lunch break," Impa said, looking from one to the other. "Did you want to join us in the hall, princess? Unless you would prefer something more private. Being around a bunch of loud, rude soldiers probably isn't your idea of good afternoon."

Zelda stood and brushed her dress off. "No, I would be happy to join you. Thank you for the invitation."

The three went to the mess hall, where a buffet-style lunch was being served. Men went through the line with their plates and then sat down once they had their food. Princess Zelda went through the line like all the rest of them. With Link on her left and Impa on her right, she didn't feel as nervous as she normally would have. The commanding officer waved them over to his table when he saw her, and they passed the lunch hour listening to him talk about the successes—and needs—of the Knight Academy.

Impa and Link ate with their faces practically in their plates, feeling out of place at the high table in such a discussion. Zelda, however, was in her element. She listened attentively and carried on a conversation with the commanding officer, commenting on what he said and throwing in ideas of her own. By the time lunch ended, the princess promised to talk to her father about the Knight Academy's needs, and Impa was feeling awe-struck. For all her shyness, Zelda was a natural diplomat. It was a new side to the princess that left Impa feeling more intrigued by the blond woman than ever.

Impa and Link continued training for the second half of the day. Zelda talked and joked with them both when appropriate. Other times, she just watched. Ruto came down to join them for a little while, but she got pulled back to her studies when Master Horwell spotted her and scolded her about needing to be in the classroom doing her makeup work. At the end of the day, Impa finally sheathed her sword. She and Link were both sweating and breathing hard. He more so than her, but he had definitely held his own for a while.

"Thanks Link," Impa said, patting the younger man on the back. "I think I'm ready.

He nodded. "Any time. You're definitely ready, if how sore my shoulders feel means anything. I need to go soak them or I won't be able to move tomorrow." He leaned backwards, stretching his back, and took a deep breath of air. Then he turned to the princess, as if just remembering that she was still there. "Hey," he said to Zelda, "it was really nice meeting you, Princess."

Zelda smiled and nodded. "It was nice to meet you as well, Link," she said. "Have a nice bath."

He waved as he walked toward the male barracks. She waved back. When she turned her eyes back to Impa, the sheikah was watching her with a smile on her face. "What?" Zelda asked.

Impa shook her head. "You're just kind of amazing, that's all. You didn't have to stay the whole day, you know. I'm sure it must have been boring."

Zelda laughed a little and tilted her head like she did when she was confused. "I was never bored, like I told you before. And thank you, but what do you mean? What did I do that was so 'amazing'?"

Impa smiled and sat down on the bench beside the princess. "Nothing. Just…I never expected the Princess of Hyrule to be quite like you."

Zelda shrugged. "Well, this is me. All the time, twenty four-seven." She looked around, as if scanning the grounds for unseen eyes, and then she reached over and laced her fingers through Impa's on the bench between them. For a moment, she just looked around at the grounds and held Impa's hand, as if chewing over her next words. Impa waited patiently.

When Zelda finally, spoke, her words were soft and hesitant. "My father will ask for my verdict tomorrow night," she said, finally looking down at their joined hands. "Impa…if I tell him that I want you, then you will be bound to me. For the rest of your life. Waking and sleeping, day and night, in sickness and in health, in peace and in war…until sickness render you unable to perform your duties or death parts us. I will he frank with you, Impa. If what we saw in the forest is a true indication of the state of the Cycle, as I believe it is, then there will be more sickness and war than health and peace."

The princess would not raise her eyes from where their fingers were laced together. Impa could hear the question in her statement. She could hear the young girl still alive in the woman, still unsure about herself and her decisions. Impa angled her body toward Zelda until their knees touched. She lifted her free hand and took Zelda's other hand in her own.

"It _is _a lot to ask," she started, "and before I met you, I would have said that it was a lot to give. I had other dreams, other aspirations. They would not be able to happen now. I would be giving them up in order to serve you." Zelda raised her blue eyes to meet Impa's red ones. The sheikah could see the tears welling in the princess's gaze, and her heart melted. "That was before I met you," she reiterated, holding the princess with her eyes. "Now that I do know you better, I've been reevaluating my life. My dreams. My plans for the future. It all seems…hollow. All of it except for serving you. Somehow I feel…oh, like this is my destiny maybe? Like you are my destiny, or at least a large part of it. I can think of no better way to spend my life than bound to you, Princess Zelda. You will be the sun, and I will be your shadow. You the moon and stars, and I the black space that holds you." She leaned forward until their noses almost touched, but not quite that far. "Through sickness and war, and hopefully through peace as well, until death parts us."

Tears did fall from Zelda's eyes now, but she was smiling. She muffled a sob in the back of her hand and then threw her arms around Impa's neck. The sheikah's eyes widened as she felt the princess's body press into hers. Her heart started beating harder as she wrapped her arms around the princess's waist. "Thank you, Impa," Zelda murmured into the sheikah's neck, and the red-eyed woman suppressed a shiver as she felt the princess's breath brush her skin. Zelda let go and dried her eyes with a lacy handkerchief. "Oh, look at me, blubbering all over you," the girl laughed.

Impa laughed with her, even as a warning light went off inside of her heart. She set it aside for later and kept her attention on Zelda. "We had both better go wash up. I've been training all day and I'm disgusting, so I have no idea how you could possibly hug me," she said, trying her best to sound flippant about the embrace when the contact had felt anything but.

Zelda laughed. "You are right. I should go freshen up for supper with father. I think that I will tell him the good news tonight, and then we will not have to wait another day. We will have so much to celebrate tomorrow!"

Impa smiled, but Zelda didn't notice that it didn't quite reach her eyes. "That's great!" the sheikah said. She stood up and held out a hand to help the princess to her feet. Impa swallowed the lump in her throat as she held the princess's hand a moment longer than she should. "Will you come to the test tomorrow?" she asked, despite herself.

Zelda nodded. "Of course," she answered. "I would not miss it for anything."

"Thank you," Impa smiled at the princess. Zelda gave her hand a little squeeze, returning the smile, and then they said their goodnights. Impa picked up her Great Sword and strapped it to her back again. As she watched the lithe form of the retreating princess, her feet stayed planted right where they were. She turned her thoughts inward, examining the internal warning she had ignored a moment before. A warrior had to be in control of all her faculties, and she had felt something for Zelda that was unidentified. To name a feeling gave one control over it. The embrace they shared came to mind, and their tender words, and the furtive touch of their hands. Dread curled in the pit of Impa's stomach. Her eyes widened as they found the last golden glimpse of Zelda's retreating form turning a corner of the yard out of sight.

Why hadn't she noticed it before? It was so obvious. Was she dumb? Impa had been so engrossed in her warrior training for so long, with nothing to distract her. Had she forgotten what feelings like love and attraction felt like? Like the fluid cultures of the Zora and the Gerudo, the sheikah—a race of shadow people—were not as rigid in their definitions of sexuality as the hylians were. Same sex relationships were common place. Still, this was not acceptable. This could not be happening, especially with the treat of the war and the next Cycle hanging in the air. There must be some mistake in her own identification of the warning. There couldn't be a worse time or worse _person._

And yet, when Impa thought back on her interactions with the princess she could see now that it _had been_ happening from the very start, and the feelings certainly didn't seem one-sided. The way that Zelda blushed or smiled at her. The way she was always trying to touch her in little ways. The way their touches lingered when no one was near. How could she have been so blind? Zelda was five years younger than her, although they were about the same height. What if it was all just a school-girl crush, and the princess would wake up one day not feeling anything for her, and they would be stuck together forever? Even worse, what if they _did_ fall in love and stay together as Zelda became the Queen of Hyrule and had to get married and have kids? The Throne must have an heir who carries the Blood of the Goddess Hylia.

Impa sunk down right where she stood and stared, stunned, into the distance. She and Zelda would be together every waking moment of every day for the rest of their lives, through peace and, more likely now, through war. Only terrible things could come of this _thing_ between them, these inconvenient emotions…but she was in too deep to stop it now. It was too late to run to Zelda's dinner table, right in front of the King, and take her response back. How would that look in front of the reigning sovereign of the Kingdom of Hyrule? How much would it hurt the princess, especially after their heartfelt words only a few moments ago? She hadn't been thinking about that…she hadn't realized…

Nonetheless, a small voice inside of the sheikah's soul insisted that Zelda was essential to her life from now on, a part of her destiny in the grand scheme of the universe. Impa was attracted to the Princess of Hyrule. She said it to herself, praying that from this moment on, for the rest of her professional relationship with Princess Zelda, she could control her feelings. Years of training had prepared her for this. The sheikah warrior had been taught to master any emotion, no matter how painful or beautiful, for the sake of honor and duty. She had just committed her whole life to Zelda's service, whatever the princess's needs might be, and there was no going back. That responsibility would have to come first, no matter the cost to herself.

**0000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

**Author's Notes:** Hello everyone, and welcome to another chapter! Thank you for the reviews, both here, on facebook, and the re-blogs on tumblr. I hope everyone continues to enjoy this little side quest!

Thank you for reading and, as always, please review.

~Jennifer Wolfe (aka The Wolfess)

****If you enjoy my writing, please check out my major work, the Doppelganger Trilogy. You can find books 1 and 2 completed on my profile.****


	4. Chapter 4

*****ALL STANDARD DISCLAIMERS APPLY****

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**In Sotto Voce**

_By Jennifer Wolfe (aka The Wolfess)_

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**Chapter 4**

Impa slept fitfully. Her mind was too full of worries to allow her to fully enter deep sleep. When the first light of dawn crept through the window in the female barracks, she woke, dressed, and went out to the main square with her Great Sword to go through her steps again. She knew that she was over preparing. When the test came, she would ace it with no problem and finally be enlisted in the Hyrulian Army—and Princess Zelda's personal service.

It was that thought that sent her to the practice slate that morning. Going through her steps made her feel more centered and at peace. With her hand on the hilt of a sword was when Impa felt at home in her own skin. Battle magic would not be tested that day, but she wanted to use it in her personal showcase at the end. There was a light drizzle this morning and she focused on practicing her water steps. As she had only been practicing them for three years she did not consider herself a master yet. Doing it during the rain was the best time. She could use the increased moisture in the air to create particularly deadly attacks, and today she felt the need to hit something really hard.

Grand Master Rauru had taught her much of the ways of water magic with her Great Sword, as well as fire magic with her Naginata. The sheikah had left the Naginata with him when she left to become a knight. Fire magic was too dangerous for the mass-training setting that the Knight Academy offered, and it could hurt someone far too easily. There was no way to tone down a fire attack. But water was different. She could tone down her water attacks so that they hit like a spring rain rather than like a hurricane.

Besides being easier to control, water was particularly therapeutic. It could be fierce when Impa felt angry or gentle when she felt sad. No matter what she was struggling with, if it was an emotional problem she could figure it out in the Great Sword's water dance. Today, as the morning light struggled to shine between patchy clouds and rain fell through beams of sunlight and evaporated off of Impa's skin like steam, the sheikah was particularly deadly.

One, two, jump, turn, three, and water. One, two, water, three, turn, and water. Impa twirled the giant sword around her body as if it was made of paper. Her steps were a rhythm, her body the music. _To use water_, Rauru had said, _you have to let your emotions flow. Control them, harness them, and make them flow from you like a tidal wave_. Today, the waves were high. She gathered the rain about her blade and made it bend to her will. Sending it out from the blade, she began to form a ball of water in the air before her. It churned and strained under her control, exhibiting as much conflict in its motions as Impa felt within her heart. _Come on_, she thought, her teeth gritted as she focused on building the sphere, _behave yourself. Bend. Grow. Stay together, no, hold, no, damn you! _The ball broke apart, falling to the wet practice slate to mingle with the rain. Impa set the sword down and leaned heavily on its hilt. Her chest was heaving as she caught her breath, tears stinging her eyes unwept.

"Hey," came a voice behind her. "Are you okay?" Impa recognized it without turning.

"Go away, Link," she snapped. "Please," she added, in a softer tone. He ignored her, of course, and came over anyway. Crossing his arms over his chest, he gave her a look that said she had better talk to him or else. "I'm fine," she said, wiping her eyes as if wiping the rain from her face.

"No you're not," he said. His blond hair was getting soaked as he stood with her in the downpour. "I've seen you practice enough times to know that the only time you can't control that water sphere is when you're really stressed about something."

Impa sighed. "You don't understand," she started, but Link shook his head.

"I do. You're nervous about today. Don't be!" He clapped her on the back and looked, pointedly, to her sword. "The fact that you can control water magic at all means that you'll pass this with flying colors."

Impa smiled. That wasn't what was bothering her, but he meant well. "Thank you Link," she said. "Hey, let's just go to breakfast. Maybe I'll feel better when I eat." They walked to the great hall in silence, where they ate in silence. One of the things Impa appreciated about Link's company was that he was okay with being quiet. It was a rare trait, and a valuable one for any observant warrior. When they were done eating, they went to their respective barracks to freshen up and change in to clean uniforms for the ceremony. They met in the practice square, both wearing their full uniforms with tunic, chainmail, white trainee tabard, blue bracers, and brown leather gloves. A crowd was already gathering for the ceremony. Link's mouth fell open as he looked up at the crowds gathered on the ground and up on the battlements.

"I have never seen so many people in this place," he murmured. "Youngest woman to ever graduate the Knight Academy. Big event I guess, right? You really draw a crowd."

Impa shook her head. "They're not here to see me," she said, looking across at the privileged section. Link followed her gaze and spotted the King of Hyrule and the two princesses sitting in the front row. Impa sighed a little as Princess Zelda waved at her, although she returned the wave and forced a smile. Out of the corner of her mouth, she said, "They're here to see who this mysterious person is who has captured Princess Zelda's interest."

"Oh," Link said, his brow furrowing in confusion. Her attitude and body language were so different today than they had been yesterday, but he didn't say anything. Now was definitely not the time to ask what had changed. "I suppose that's going to be your life now, huh? If you take the position." He said instead.

Impa's smile softened, and something real came into her expression, something strangely pensive and tender. "No," she whispered, still looking over at Zelda as they made their way around the crowd to get in formation with the other recruits. Impa would be called out from among them during the ceremony. "Let them gawk," she said, her voice tinged with disdain. "They don't matter. The 'fame', if that's what you'd call it, will have no part in my new life. I'll tell you what my life is going to be," the sheikah paused just before they reached the other trainees. She glanced at Link, and then turned her red gaze back to the princess. "I told her yes last night, Link," Impa's voice was soft, barely loud enough for him to hear. "It's done. No 'ifs' or 'would be' anymore, and no turning back. My new life is sitting right over there, in a ceremonial-style pink dress with golden plate jewelry, smiling at me. Nothing in this world matters but her safety, not anymore."

"Wow," Link murmured. He suddenly understood what was bothering her earlier that morning, at least part of it. "I didn't think about it that way before. That's pretty intense, Impa. Are you sure you're ready for something like that? You're just now becoming a soldier."

Impa laughed a little, the sound ever so slightly bitter. "No, Link," she said. "I'm not sure at all." With that, she left him to get in her place in the formation. Link stepped into his, and they waited for the head of the trainees, Captain Raltz, to start the ceremony.

It wasn't long before the captain stepped into the center of the practice slate. One of the generals joined him, and together they turned and bowed before the king. They stayed bowed, their fists over their hearts, as King Daphnes got to his feet.

"At ease," he said, his great voice booming over the crowd. Captain Raltz and the general straightened and waited for the king to continue. King Daphnes smiled a little. It was obvious that he was looking forward to seeing Impa's Presentation of Skill. "I have been told that you have an exceptional recruit to present to me for judgment?" he asked.

Captain Raltz bowed as he answered. "Yes, your Grace. If it pleases your Grace, we would like to present her skills to you."

King Daphnes motioned with both hands toward the practice slate. "By all means! Proceed." He sat down, and Impa bounced on her toes a little. This was it.

The general stood back just enough to be off the practice slate. He and the king would judge Impa's presentation together. Captain Raltz would conduct it. He came over to the front of the formation and spoke as loudly as he could. "Impa! Come forward to be tested!"

Impa stepped out of formation and walked to the center of the practice slate. A murmur went up from the crowd as they saw the large Great Sword strapped to her back. It was rare to see a trainee with their own custom steel, let alone something so large, and Goron-made to boot as the symbol on the outside of the black scabbard indicated. Captain Raltz stood in front of her. He smiled a little. "Don't be nervous," he said, soft enough that only she could hear. Impa smiled to show she heard him, although she didn't ease her stance. He nodded, and then turned to face the king. Impa turned as well, though her eyes were locked on Zelda's face instead of his. The hylain princess seemed to beam with excitement. She smiled as their eyes met, and Impa's breath caught in her throat.

"Your Majesty, King Daphnes, and your Highness, Princess Zelda," Captain Raltz began, "I would like to present Impa of the Sheikah Tribe for your approval. She wields the Great Sword today, but also has mastery of the Naginata, not here displayed for safety purposes."

Impa bowed low, her fist over her heart. "Thank you, Captain," the King's voice boomed. "You may proceed."

Impa straightened and turned around, trying to not appear as if she was turning her back to the royalty on purpose. The truth was, the last thing she needed was Zelda's smile distracting her. Captian Raltz stepped back before he began, knowing that Impa had a large reach.

"Basic routine first," he said. Impa drew her great sword and nodded. She went through it as smoothly as if he had asked her to walk the length of the practice square and back. It was as second nature to her as walking. When she had completed that routine, he had her go through her intermediate and advanced level routines. These she likewise completed with ease. Her body was smooth and deadly, a master dancer at her art.

Finally, a grin on his face, Captain Raltz said, "Finally, your Personal Showcase please." This was where Impa would truly shine. She wasn't getting tested on this part, but this was where she got to show off anything she wanted to—and the sheikah warrior knew exactly what they wanted to see.

Impa started like she had that morning. A few basic steps, a small water move, and few more basic moves. Then she progressed into the next phase, adding more jumps and turns, larger bodies of water flowing in controlled streams where and how she dictated. Finally, Impa moved into her final set. She slashed the Great Sword around her three times. With each pass, a sphere of water grew in front of her. When it was almost as big as she was, Impa leapt up and did a somersault in the air, leading with her sword. She came down with a slash to the right, and the water splayed out in all directions from sword. She used the momentum from that slash to move her into the final set. Going through a few complicated steps, she formed a circle of runes in a watery blue light beneath her feet. It glowed brightly, reflecting on her face. Suddenly, a phantom sword made out of water appeared in her free hand. She slammed it into the ground, following it up with three others all around her. Then, one by one and using both hands, she used the water swords to attack in every direction. The water sprayed outward in a tidal wave of power, and those in the front rows got soaked.

The crowd erupted in applause. They had never seen a display of battle magic quite like that. Breathing hard, Impa swung her Great Sword back into its sheath and turned back to the king. She bowed low and waited.

King Daphnes stood, a grin on his face, and held his hands up for the crowd to quiet. When it did, he spoke. "As far as the Crown is concerned, you pass with flying colors," he said. The crowd applauded again, and the king reached for the broadsword leaning against his chair. He drew it from its sheath and raised it above his head. Everyone quieted as the King of Hyrule stepped over to Impa. "Please kneel, Impa."

Impa went down on one knee, her fist over her heart. "You kneel a knight in training," King Daphnes said. He brought the sword down on her left shoulder, and then her right, and finally the top of her head: forming the perfect sign of the Holy Triforce. "And you rise, Captain Impa, an anointed knight and Captain of Hyrule." Amidst the applause a small collective gasp could be heard. Not only was Impa the _youngest_ female to ever graduate the Knight Academy, but _no one_, male _or_ female, had ever skipped the base ranks all together and been promoted straight to captain. It was unheard of.

Despite herself, Impa's head snapped up and her mouth fell open. Had she heard right? The king saw the surprise on her face and he laughed. "It is okay, Captain Impa, you can rise now. You heard me correctly." The sheikah swallowed and stood. She bowed from the waist.

"Your Grace has honored me above all others," she said. "I pray that I can live up to this privilege with my service."

"Oh, you will," the King said. For a moment, Impa thought that she saw an odd look pass across his face. It was gone so quickly that she dismissed it as a figment of her imagination. "I have not seen nor read of someone with your skill in decades, and my army is in sore need of a blade like yours. Not only that, but my daughter has incredible confidence in you. You will serve her, and Hyrule Kingdom itself, honorably." It was half a statement and half a command.

"Yes, your Grace," Impa replied. The King handed his sword to the nearest attendant and patted Impa on the shoulder one last time before he walked away. He was a busy man with lots to do, and she felt honored that he had taken the time to attend her ceremony at all. It was often delegated down to one of the higher generals.

Captain Raltz dismissed the recruits, and both they and the crowds began to disburse. Before Impa had time to process what had just happened, she found herself surrounded by people. Some of them were recruits she had a rapport with, some upper-rank officials who wanted to set dates to meet with her, and even more people she didn't know. They all wanted to congratulate her on her historical promotion, and get an up-close look at this person who seemed to come into their lives out of nowhere.

Being a rather small man, Link shouldered his way through the crowd easily. "HEY! CONGRADULATIONS!" he shouted above the din, slapping her on the back and shaking her hand at the same time. "CAPTAIN Impa! I can't believe it!"

Seeing that she was with a friend, the crowd began to drift away. "I know, right?" Impa said in a more normal volume, grinning from ear. "It feels so surreal!"

Link's eyes shifted to something over Impa's right shoulder. He smiled and pointed, keeping his hand low enough that only Impa would see him point. "Don't look now, but your life is walking over," he said, shooting the sheikah a grin.

"I would like to slap you for that," Impa growled under her breath as she turned around.

"Anytime, Captain, anytime," Link grinned. He bowed as the two princesses grew close enough. "Good morning, your Highnesses."

Ruto's eyes were sparkling with obvious excitement. She hadn't gotten to speak with the blond recruit before, and she was already blushing. "Good morning! Link, I believe?" she said. He nodded, looking slightly uncomfortable. Ruto turned to Impa. "Hey! WOW I knew you were good, but that was amazing! That move at the end was something special."

Link perked up, as if just remembering something. "Oh yeah, I walked to talk to you about that. Where did that come from?! I've never seen it before!"

Impa rubbed the back of her neck in embarrassment. "I have been working on it in private," she said. "I didn't know if I was going to be able to pull it off, given…ah, my troubles this morning with the sphere. Praise that goddesses that they gave me the strength."

"Well, it was awesome," he said. Then he tugged on the edge of her trainee tabard. "I guess you're going to get a new one of these now. The blue and white checkered one that the knights wear."

"Actually, in my service you can wear whatever you feel comfortable in," Zelda piped up, speaking for the first time. "Since we are going to be together for a _very_ long time, after all." She blushed a little, and her eyes sparkled as she smiled at the sheikah.

Impa's breath caught in her throat again. _Damn_, she thought. She was starting to hate it when Zelda looked at her like that. The princess's beauty made her head spin. Thank goodness her back had been turned when she did the test or she never would have pulled off the water magic display at the end. Impa bowed, mostly to hide how flabbergasted she felt. "Thank you, my Lady. You and your father, the king, have honored me."

Zelda started. "Oh yes! That reminds me. My father wanted to meet with you, to discuss the details of your new position. But I wanted to have you in my solar for lunch before you go. Would you join me—all of you?" She looked at Link and Ruto as well. "It would be lovely to celebrate together."

"I'll have to check with Captain Raltz, but if I can get off Academy Campus for the day then I'll be there," Link said.

Ruto winked. "You know I'm in for anything that's celebratory."

Princess Zelda clasped her hands together in front of her. "Well, then, it's settled. I'll have it prepared in the Queen's Solar at high noon."

"I'd better get moving then," Link said. "I'll see you at noon!" He turned and trotted toward the commander's room to get permission. Impa watched him go, wishing for a moment that he was staying.

Ruto looked from one woman to the other and smirked. "You know, I think I see Master Horwell over there giving me the skink eye. I'd better make myself scarce if I don't want to end up doing make up work all afternoon," she said. Of course, Master Horwell was nowhere to be seen, but Zelda and her new Captain didn't bother to look away from each other in order to check as the zora girl pranced away.

"You were really very amazing," Zelda said, bouncing on her toes a little. "I wish that I could perform battle magic such as that."

Impa smiled. "I can teach you," she suggested. "With Grand Master Rauru's help of course. He'll help you find your natural elements, and I can help you practice them. He lives just in town down there."

"Natural elements?" the princess asked.

"Yes," Impa nodded. "Each person is naturally inclined toward one or two elements. For me, it is the passion and power of fire, and the spirituality and emotion of water."

"I wonder what mine would be?" Zelda thought out loud. "I would love to meet Grand Master Rauru and find out."

"I need to go retrieve my naginata from him soon, if you would like to accompany me," Impa suggested. "However, I already know what one of yours would be I think."

Zelda smiled. "You do? And what do you think my element would be?"

Impa reached out and touched the golden locks of Zelda's hair, unable to stop herself. She tucked a stray stand behind the princess's ear. "You would be light," she murmured, "for your soul shines like a beacon of hope and goodness in a world that can seem so dark."

Zelda blushed and bit her lower lip as she looked down at her feet. "Thank you," she murmured, her heart suddenly beating a little faster.

Impa took her hand back and clasped them together behind her back. She cleared her throat a little. "I should go freshen up," she said. "I've been practicing all morning, and am not presentable at all for civilized company."

Zelda stepped backward a little, as if suddenly realizing how close together they were standing. She looked around at the guests still lingering on the battlements. "That fine. If you will not be too long, then I shall wait for you."

Impa nodded. "I'll hurry. Be right back." She turned and almost ran back to the women's barracks. When she got there, she slammed the door shut behind her and then leaned back against it. "Get a hold of yourself," she whispered. "You're acting like _you're_ a hormonal sixteen year old again." The truth was that, other than a quiet relationship with a senior classman that ended badly when Impa left the girl to study in Castle Town, she had never really _been_ a hormonal sixteen year old. All of her emotional and physical energy had been poured into her training, leaving her little left over for emotional dalliance in relationships. She wasn't familiar with how to handle what she felt for Zelda, and that scared her more than the actual emotions she was feeling.

Impa pushed off of the door and undressed. She took a cold shower to clear her head, and then dressed in the blue sheikah uniform that was natural for her. A little voice in the back of her head suggested that Zelda seemed to like it the last time she wore it. But that was neither here nor there, she told herself, praying that if she said it enough times it would be true. She strapped her Great Sword to her back and faced the door. She took a couple measured breaths. "You have to control yourself," she said. "If this is going to work _at all _then you have to control yourself." She nodded to herself, and then walked out.

Zelda was waiting on a bench nearby, just had she had said. The princess had a book out that Impa hadn't notice before. She came and sat quietly beside the girl, not wishing to interrupt. Zelda turned the page, read a little more, and then closed the book. She held it to her chest as she turned her smile on Impa. "Hello," she said. "Was your shower refreshing?"

Impa nodded. "Yes, your Highness."

The princess paused a little at the formal address. She looked around to see if there was someone around who could overhear them. Seeing no one, she frowned a little and seemed to brush it off. "Well," she said slowly, "we have a couple of hours until lunch. What would you like to do?"

"I am at your service my Lady," Impa replied. "Whatever you would like to do is fine with me." Zelda gave her a puzzled look. Impa realized that the formalities must seem like a sudden shift, and perhaps she should ease them into a more professional relationship rather than trying to force it. "I mean to say that I haven't thought past the ceremony this morning at all. I'm still a little in shock and have no ideas on activities for the afternoon. If you have any preferences, Zelda, then I would be happy to accompany you."

Zelda gave her a queer look. For a moment, Impa thought that she was going to ask what was going on, and the sheikah had no idea what she would say. The question didn't get spoken, however. Instead, Zelda stood and brushed off her dress with her free hand. "We could walk, I suppose," she said. "Or go the library and read. You did say that you enjoy reading."

Impa smiled. The two women started walking, figuring that they would either end up at the library or at the solar eventually. "I do, indeed. I noticed that you have a book with you today. May I ask what it is?"

Zelda lifted the aged leather volume. "A recommendation from Ruto, actually," she said, laughing a little.

Impa laughed along with her. "Ruto reads?" she joked.

Zelda nodded. "Oh, yes! Mostly romantic legends and children's stories, to tell you the truth, but this one she mentioned off handedly as something that could 'help me', though I have no idea what ever with. It is called 'Comparative Flow and Cultural Transcendence within the Elemental Peoples of Hyrule' written by an ancient cultural scientist named Professor Mizumi."

Impa furrowed her brow. "Wait, Comparative Flow and…what? What is it about?"

Zelda giggled a little, but she smiled to show she didn't mean it maliciously. "It is the only book I could find that specifically compares the Gerudo, Zora, and Sheikah cultures. I have only just begun, but it seems to focus on the similarities between the three tribes. Each tribe identifies with different, yet similar, unpredictable elements—sand, water, and shadow, respectively. Professor Mizumi asserts that this 'elemental flow' causes a cultural transcendence of normal boundaries, a trait also shared by the three tribes."

Impa's eyes widened and her expression went blank. The sheikah knew exactly what 'cultural transcendence' and 'normal boundries' the book was likely to discuss at length, and she was none too happy about it. If Zelda didn't know why Ruto would want her to read it, then she must not know much about same sex attraction in the first place and Impa would rather that she stay ignorant.

"Does that make sense?" Zelda asked, not sure if the explanation was still a little too complicated or not.

The sheikah blinked and then frowned. "Oh yes, perfect sense, and I'm not sure I want you to read that."

Zelda furrowed her brow. "Why not? It sounds fascinating."

Impa stopped walking and crossed her arms over her chest. "Exactly. And I'm afraid that you're going find out 'why' and discover that you don't like it." She glared at the book, as if she could set it on fire just by looking at it. "Remind me to have a _talk_ with Ruto about appropriate reading material."

Zelda stuck her chin in the air, a hint of defiance coming over her. "I can read whatever I wish," she said. "I am the Princess of Hyrule."

Impa reached over and plucked the book from Zelda's hand. The princess gasped the tried to tug it back, but the sheikah was too strong. "And still only sixteen," she said, tucking the book under her arm. "You're not ready for this."

"Of course I am!" Zelda whined, but Impa started walking again and just ignored her. Zelda trotted to keep up, then fell in step with her new bodyguard with her lips puckered in a pout. Impa glanced down at her and couldn't help but smile. The princess was even cute when she was pouting, which, she thought, was a little pathetic on her own part.

She shook her head to get the unwanted thoughts out and they ended up walking the rest of the way to the library in silence. Zelda plopped down into her favorite chair and picked up one of the other books she had piled nearby. Impa glanced at the titles to be sure there were no more Ruto recommendations in there, and then busied herself by reading the spines on the bookshelves.

Eventually, Impa heard the princess sigh behind her, and the sound of the book closing. The sheikah still had the forbidden volume tucked under her arm, and she wasn't planning on releasing it any time soon. She was standing by the window looking out on the view of the castle garden from the reading nook, but she turned around when she heard Zelda's chair creak.

The princess had risen to her feet and crossed the room to the where Impa waited. She took a seat on the window nook and patted the cushion beside her. The sheikah obliged and took a seat. "What can I help you with, my Lady?" she asked.

Zelda reached to take her hand, but Impa retracted it, pretending to need to adjust the armor on her other arm. The princess sighed and set her hands in her lap instead. "Impa," she started, her voice soft. She was looking down at her hands. "Today is the first day of the rest of our lives. I have no grand ceremonies to perform, no titles to bestow, or gifts to give to you. By all appearances, really, this day is just like any other. You will meet with my father later, and he will share his expectations with you and some history about the position. This whole business is all very official to him. His only desire is to find someone capable who will, preferably, get along with me."

Zelda reached for Impa's hand again, and this time the sheikah didn't pull it away. Their fingers intertwined, and the princess turned their hands over so that she could look at the back of Impa's armor-clad hand. "Let me tell you a little history of my own, a history my father will not tell you. Kishla was a mother to me. Before me, she was my own mother's dearest companion and fiercest champion. Before Kishla was another Impa, who was also very dear to the Zelda she served. Going back generation upon generation, the relationship between the Queens of Hyrule and their Guardians has been…unique. Special. Cherished. It is said that the Goddess Hylia herself, from whom the line of Hylian Queens began, was protected by a Sheikah woman named Impa."

Zelda covered Impa's hand with her other one, enclosing the armor and leather between her two bare, soft, warm hands. "Some scholars speculate that the line of Queens is not just a bloodline and a naming tradition, but rather that each Queen Zelda is another reincarnation of Hylia's divine soul. Perhaps that is true, or perhaps not. If it is true, then I think that the goddess must have looked through time and seen how lonely it would be at the top of the world all alone. I think that she gave herself a gift: her faithful servant and very best friend, Impa, to reincarnate alongside her and keep her company throughout the rest of time so that her existence would not be so solitary and sad."

Impa smiled, and she set the book down beside her so that she could put her other hand on top of Zelda's. "Zelda, I…"

"Please," Zelda interrupted, looking up for the first time to meet Impa's eyes. "Let me finish." Impa nodded, so the princess continued. "Last night when you accepted my offer of service, you spoke of our destinies. Ever since I first saw you, I have felt…queer. I do not have the words to explain what I feel when I am with you. I was hoping that book could help me to understand it. What I do think that I already know, however, is that if I am Hylia reborn once again, then you must be my Impa. You must be the companion born to walk through life with me. I do not think that all of the Zeldas found their Impas…so I feel blessed to have found mine. I wanted to thank you for accepting my offer. Thank you for choosing to share another lifetime with me."

Impa scooted closer and pulled the princess to her. Zelda wrapped her arms around her protector and pressed her body close. They sat there for a moment like that, wrapped in one another's embrace in the solitude of the library. Impa turned her face into toward Zelda and breathed in the scent of her hair, felt the warmth of their bodies pressed together, the rushed beating of one of their hearts, though it was impossible to tell whose. Her own heart felt like it was beating out of her chest. Any moment now, she was sure Zelda would realize that it wasn't simple companionship for her sheikah bodyguard and it would all be over. The promotion, her career, their relationship, everything.

Maybe, Impa thought, she shouldn't have ever touched the princess, shouldn't have accepted the offer in the first place. She should have just continued on her hollow path to her hollow future alone. But she couldn't help herself. _Once,_ the sheikah told herself, _just this once I will hold you, as a loyal companion would. Just this once._ "I am..." attracted to you. Falling in love with you. Want to be your eternal companion in a different way. "…always happy to serve."

Zelda pulled away. Her face looked slightly affronted, as if the formality of Impa's comment was the last thing she was expecting or wanting to hear from the sheikah's mouth when she had just poured her heart and soul out.

Just then, the door bust open. Ruto came dancing in, Link in tow. Zelda and Impa stood up quickly and took a few steps away from each other. Impa swept the book back into her arms before Zelda could grab it. "THERE you two are!" Ruto exclaimed, ignorant of tension in the room she had just walked into. "I should have figured you would be reading. And I thought YOU would help her get outside more often!"

Impa bowed. "I will aim to improve." Link, luckily, was not quite so oblivious. He raised an eyebrow at Impa, who just shook her head to indicate that she would explain later...maybe. He rolled his eyes a little, but he didn't say anything. She kept too many secrets for his liking, but there was some things that she just couldn't discuss with him. Her true feelings for Princess Zelda was one of them.

"Anyway," Ruto continued, "are we having lunch or what?"

"Absolutely," Zelda said, suddenly all smiles and celebration. It was as if nothing had just transpired between them, and Impa made a mental note of that little ability as well. The princess was, apparently, a master of what she showed of herself outwardly to the world. The sheikah wondered what all she kept hidden inside.

The princess strode out front, leading the way to the solar. Link went with her, and Ruto started to take up the tail. Impa grabbed her arm just before they left the library. "Hey!" Ruto said, immediately angry. "Get your hand off me!"

Impa let go, but she didn't back down. She shoved the book into Ruto's chest. "Keep your educational literature to yourself, zora," she snarled.

Ruto looked confused, at least until she looked down at what book it was. She laughed out loud, the sound watery and lilting. "Oh! THAT book! Why, I had no IDEA that she would pick up _that_ one."

Impa gritted her teeth and curled her hands into fists. She could hear Zelda's footsteps retreating down the hall and knew she had to wrap this up quick. "Don't give me that," she snapped. "I may not have recognized the title at first, but I recognize the description. You _know_ that there's only one book that compares the three races, and you _know_ that it details our races' similar _mating habits_. She doesn't know that it's possible for women to love other women, and I don't think she's ready to learn anytime soon."

Ruto crossed her arms over her chest. "She's not ready…or you're not?" Impa glared so hard that bursts of fire leapt off of her clenched fists, but Ruto just grinned wickedly. "Come on, sheikah," the fish-woman whispered, her tone seductive. "You and I both know that she wants you, she just doesn't know it yet." She glanced up and down Impa's body, as if taking stock. "And, if that little 'tender embrace' I just saw in the library is any indication, the feeling is mutual."

Impa spun away from the zora princess, walking in the direction that Zelda and Link had gone. "You are mistaken," she said as Ruto caught up and fell into step beside her. "I was just comforting her."

"Uh huh," Ruto said. "Right. You keep telling yourself that."

Impa stopped again and took Ruto by the arm, much gentler this time. "I mean it, Ruto," she growled. "She is the heir to the throne of Hyrule, and she must marry a king and produce heirs to continue the blood line of Hylia. There is no room for…what may, or may not exist between us. Nothing but pain will come to her if you explain to her what she's feeling."

"And for you, isn't that right? The pain would be yours most of all I think." Ruto said.

Impa looked down the hall. Link was standing just outside the solar looking around for them, so the sheikah dragged the zora back around the corner out of his sight. "My own feelings have nothing to do with this," she said. "I live to serve the House of Hylia. I merely feel the love and devotion that any knight feels for her liege lady. I only desire to protect Her Royal Highness, as she is young and innocent to the ways of the world."

"Whatever you say," Ruto said, wrenching her arm from Impa's grasp. She stepped back and rubbed her arm a little. "I won't tell her anything. But, Impa, I'm the heir the Zora Kingdom. I've had just as many female loves as I have had male loves…so don't think you can fool me for one minute. She's going to figure out what she's feeling whether I help her or not. I tease her, but Princess Zelda is the wisest woman alive. It won't take her long to ask herself why she wants to touch you all the time and enjoys being in your arms, but feels nothing when touched in the same way by the knights and lords who seek her favor. Once she asks _that_ question, well…" Ruto winked, but her mannerism was grave. "You had best be ready to love her back, sheikah. A woman scorned can be a bad thing, but a Queen scorned can be a nightmare. It's not just your heart on the line." She held up a hand and cupped it as if holding an apple. "If you have her…you have Hyrule itself in the palm of your hand. How you treat her will be reflected in how she treats her subjects. And you have to live with that."

Impa sighed. "I never asked for this," she said. "I never asked to have her."

Ruto shrugged and started walking toward the solar. "Too bad. Think of it as gift with strings."

**0000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

**Author's Notes:** Hello everyone! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Two things going on right now: NaNoWriMo causing TONS of work to be done on this story! Also, MAJORA'S MASK 3D! So happy. :D hank you for reading and please review!

~Jennifer Wolfe (aka The Wolfess)

****If you enjoy my writing, please check out my major work, the Doppelganger Trilogy. You can find books 1 and 2 completed on my profile.****


	5. Chapter 5

*****ALL STANDARD DISCLAIMERS APPLY****

!

**In Sotto Voce**

_By Jennifer Wolfe (aka The Wolfess)_

!

**Chapter 5**

By the time that Impa stood outside the meeting hall where she waited for the King's convenience to see her, she was a ball of nerves. Ruto's words bothered her more than she thought they would, and she wall mulling them over in her head. How to stop Zelda from asking herself that particular question? How to prevent her from figuring out what she was feeling? Impa had sensed the tension in Zelda's body as she sat at the princess's right hand and they all had a merry little lunch. Poor Link was the only one who probably had no idea what was going on, and Impa planned to keep it that way. He was a nice guy and a good friend, but this wasn't his problem. She didn't want to burden him with her struggles.

Once the lunch was over, Ruto had skipped out merrily, the accursed book under one arm, and left the three of them alone. Link took his leave shortly after that, noting the fact that _he _was still a trainee and had a lot of practicing to do if he wanted to make it out like Impa had. That left Impa and Zelda alone. They shared some overly-polite discussion and then Zelda noted that Impa still needed to go meet with her father.

So here she was, sitting on a bench outside a pair of doors as tall as the great hall itself, waiting to see the King about his daughter. _If my grandmother knew what I had gotten myself into, she'd be rolling over in her grave_, Impa thought. _Get yourself exactly where you need to go in life and screw it up by having feelings for the princess. Stupid, stupid, stupid. _

Finally, the doors creaked open, and a small soldier stepped out. "His Majesty the king bids you to enter," he said. Impa grunted her thanks as she passed by. She was too nervous for many audible words just about now.

The Great hall was dimly lit when she entered. A few torches hung on the walls, and the shutters were close on all the windows. Rather than sitting on his throne, she found the king seated at a wooden table in the middle of the hall. He had parchments and scrolls strewn all about him and was studying them in the light of a single candleholder. The small flame cast shadows over his face, making it difficult to make out his facial expression. When the soldier closed the door behind her, the clank of it shutting made him look up.

"Ah! Captain Impa. Come, come and take a seat across from me." He motioned to the chair on the other side of the table. Impa walked over, bowed respectfully, and then sat. "I am so glad that you have come. Now you see what royalty truly does, young sheikah. We sit and read and sign things. Or sit and listen to people. Either way, there is always someone needing something that needs your approval, and a lot of sitting on your royal arse. I am very glad to have a reprieve."

"I'm honored to be here, your Majesty. I can't thank you enough," Impa said. She noted that his face looked drawn and tired. His skin had a slightly gray tone to it. She wondered if he was getting much sleep, and what could be worrying him enough to rob him of his rest. She thought back to the Deku Tree and Zelda's talk of her father's secretive, closed-door meetings.

King Daphnes waved her comment away, as if trying to clear cobwebs from in front of his eyes. "I have actually been monitoring your development since long before you came to the training program. Kishla was a trusted advisor, and we knew she would need a replacement someday. She was getting old, and her first Zelda had died in childbirth. You showed promise at a very young age. It was only a matter of time before I got an excuse to put you where I have wanted you—in my daughter's service, and my own."

Impa blinked. She had no idea that the King had been following her development for so long. As much as that seemed out of nowhere—you would think that someone would have told her that the King of Hyrule was watching her development—she decided to brush it off as something that Kishla and the King kept to themselves. She made a mental note to speak to Elder Kishla about it later. Kind Daphnes continued, obviously a man of many great thoughts with little time to express them. "Speaking of my daughter, tell me what you think of her, and be honest. I am your sovereign."

"I—well, your Grace, I have only known her for a little while. But, so far I think she's rather incredible."

The King chuckled and tapped his fingers on the table. "Hah hmm, yes. She_ is_ incredible, that is true. Well, she happens to think that you are the best thing since she read her first book all by herself. I have no idea what it is about you that makes her so happy, but it pleases my heart to see it. She has been lonely of late. The past few years as she has begun to grow into a woman, she has also begun to retreat inside herself. I want her to experience more of life. I want her to get in trouble and make mistakes." He must have seen the surprise on Impa's face, because he laughed out loud. "Why do you think I brought that troublemaking Princess Ruto here? Out of generosity? HA! No, I am hoping that she will help Zelda get out of that library. She agreed to do her best, and she has quite a reputation for being a troublemaker in her own Kingdom. Her father, King Zora, was more than willing to do me a favor."

Impa had to laugh as well. It appeared that there was a lot more to the Zora Princess than anyone thought. "I don't know how much help that I will be getting her in trouble," Impa said, "but I will do my best to get her out to see more of the world, if that is your desire your Majesty."

King Daphnes sighed, reaching up one large hand to stroke his long brown beard. "Yes, Impa that _is_ one task I have for you. I am sure you have noticed already…she is very intelligent, in some ways more wise than the wisest sage. However, in other ways she is still very ignorant. She knows nothing of the ways of the world. Kishla and I have sheltered her too much. Been too protective. I want her to learn more about the world without getting hurt by it overmuch. I do not want her to be blindsided by the darkness in the world when she is Queen, but I also do not want her to be scarred by it. I understand that this is not an easy task for you, but I would have it of you just the same."

"Yes, your Majesty. I will."

"Good. Now, there are some other details you should be aware of in your new position. First, you will be my primary contact when it comes to my daughter. I do not see her often, and you will be her mother and father in my absence. You should come to know her in and out as you two spend more time together, and at times I will have need of that knowledge. Therefore, if I call on you do not be afraid to come. You are as good as part of the family, now, so interrupt me as necessary, but with discretion."

"Yes, your Majesty."

"Second, your daily expectations. You are Zelda's shadow. Your place is at the princess's side, you know that already. You will eat breakfast and dinner in the main hall with us, lunch with the princess in whatever manner she sees fit, and attend all royal functions at which the princess is present. At balls, you will be at her side. If she dances, you will be two steps away." The shadows cast over his features by the candlelight seemed to deepen. His was grave, and his eyes seemed to look not a_t _Impa, but _through_ her. "Always watching, Impa. There is evil in this kingdom, do not doubt."

"Of course, your Majesty."

The King seemed to snap out of whatever he was thinking about and move on, as if checking items off of a list. "Good. Next, sleeping arrangements and living accommodations. The subject of ages' worth of gossip. You will sleep in the same room as the princess, yes, but it is a nook set off from her room about the size of a large closet. You will have your own bed and storage space for your personal belongings. We will not make you sleep on the floor or, goddesses forbid, _share _her bed as they did in ancient times. We are not that barbaric any longer. I do need you in the same room, however, for two reasons: to protect her, yes, first and foremost. However, my daughter is the true descendant of Hylia."

He leaned forward, and when he spoke it was with more earnest interest than anything else he said that day. "One thing that most laypeople do not know about the Royal Line is that only the True Descendant—namely, the firstborn daughter who will always be named Zelda—possesses the power of the Goddess Hylia. Thus far in Zelda the goddess's power has manifested in her dreams, but she shows other promise as well. Her dreams, though, are often prophetic. The content of these dreams is very, very important to me. We have avoided many a major crisis, even wars, thanks to her premonitions. I will need you to be there when she wakes from these dreams to record its details in whatever way you see fit. Every detail, as small or obscure as they are, recorded precisely. You will then immediately present these dreams to me. Is that understood?"

"Yes, your Majesty," Impa said, even as she frowned to herself. Why didn't the king just ask Zelda himself? Why did he seem so intent on not talking to her?

King Daphnes sat back in his chair and drummed his fingers together. "Now, finally, as to the matter of your military training. You will continue to train with the masters of military arts. Your skill should not rust while in Zelda's service, for one day she will need every ounce of your power. The generals are working on a training schedule for you, and we will do our best to have it coincide with Zelda's schooling. The Masters have agreed to work their lessons around your schedule."

"Thank you, your Majesty."

King Daphnes nodded. He looked back down at his papers and picked up his quill. "Well, that is all I have for you today. If you have no questions, I am a busy man and have many more of these infernal papers to go through before I may join you all for supper."

Impa stood and bowed. "Thank you for your time, your Grace."

The King nodded his head in acknowledgement. As Impa turned to leave, however, he said, "Remember, Impa, I need to know what she dreams about. Every detail."

"Of course, your Majesty." Impa bowed again. She left as quietly and quickly as she could. For a moment she stood there and contemplated the sheer strangeness of the meeting. Soon, however, she filed it away and looked around for the princess. Zelda was nowhere to be seen. Impa frowned a little, but then remembered that this was their last night apart. Perhaps the princess has just gone to enjoy her last remaining freedom. Impa turned toward the direction of the barracks to gather her things, talk to Link, and enjoy her last night as a trainee with a simple life. In the morning, her life would be very different. She would be having breakfast with the king.

! #$%^&*()

Zelda _was_ enjoying her last night without Impa—enjoying it by sitting in Ruto's room on a comfortable arm chair and fuming about the infuriating sheikah. "So I pour out my heart to her, which is not characteristic of me at all," she was saying, "and how does she respond? 'I am always pleased to serve'. _What is that_? What kind of response is that, Ruto?"

The zora princess shrugged. She was sitting on the bed painting her toenails, her fins fluttering behind her lazily. "Maybe she's nervous," she said. In actuality, she knew exactly what was wrong with the hylian princess's new body guard. Impa had made her vow not to say anything, though, so she did her best to dance around the topic.

"Nervous?" Zelda said, furrowing her brow. Her cheeks were pink with frustration. "The first four days we were together she was not nervous at all. It was as if we had known each other forever—and now that she is actually in my service and we have to spend every waking moment together for the rest of our lives, NOW she's nervous? That makes no sense, Ruto."

"I think that some…ah…certain revelations may have come to light for her. In lieu of this huge, life-changing appointment," Ruto bit her lip. She didn't know how to assuage Zelda's worry without exposing the truth. She silently cursed the stupid sheikah for complicating her already complicated task.

Zelda raised an eyebrow. "Certain revelations huh? Overnight? That makes no sense. Unless this has something to do with that heated conversation I know you two had in the hallway before lunch. You know what is wrong, do you not?"

Ruto heaved a huge sigh. "Maybe I do and maybe I don't. Maybe I swore not to say anything and I do have SOME shred of honor you know."

"This has to do with that book," Zelda said. "I just know it does. What is she trying to hide from me?"

Ruto threw up her hands. "I CAN'T TELL YOU! I promised her! Zora's honor and all that." She then got off the bed, careful not to mess up her nail polish, and hobbled over to her desk area. She opened the top drawer and pulled out a book—THE book. Closing the drawer again, she hobbled over to where Zelda sat and held it out.

"What—but did you not just say that you promised Impa?" Zelda took the book from Ruto even as she brought up the promise. Now that it was forbidden, she wanted to read it all the more.

Ruto hobbled back of to her bed and sat down, checking to see if her nails were dry yet. She didn't look up at the hylian princess as she spoke. "My exact words were 'I promise that I will not SAY anything'. I never promised that I wouldn't give you the book back. That's her mistake for giving it to me. And for grabbing my arm in a rough manner."

Zelda brushed her hand over the simple cover, curiosity eating at her. "What is in this simple book that she fears me knowing so very badly?" she mused out loud.

"I can't tell you," Ruto said. "But you can figure it out for yourself if you read it. You'll have to read it in secret though. She'll take it away if she sees it again, and this time I fear I will not able to retrieve it. There aren't many copies of that in this world."

Zelda looked from the book to the zora princess. "Ruto…thank you," she said. "I think that I have underestimated you, and for that please forgive me."

Ruto blew on her nails and wiggled her toes, smiling. "Yeah yeah, forgiveness given. Don't get all mushy on me, save that stuff for Impa. She'll be more amusing to watch squirm in discomfort."

Zelda stood, clutching the book to her chest. "I had better return to my own room and find a suitable hiding place for this. Thank you again, Ruto."

"You're welcome. Good night."

Zelda bustled down to her room, glancing right and left to make sure Impa wasn't around yet. Finally, she hid the book in her nightstand and locked the drawer with a small key. She lay down to sleep, but found that her mind would not be quiet. She wanted to know what the forbidden book was about, and she wanted to know now. So she finally lit a candle, unlocked the drawer, and pulled the book back out. If this was her one last night of individuality, then she had best get as much reading done as possible.

!

Impa moved her things into the nook the following morning. What the king called 'a closet' was the size of a good sized living room, albeit with one of the walls missing. Once her things were put away in her new living space, Impa's true duty began: guarding Zelda. The princess was unusually tired that morning. She had small bags under her eyes that she covered with makeup, and she yawned all through their breakfast with the king. Ruto was suspiciously chipper, and seemed to be drawing attention away from Zelda's exhaustion.

After breakfast, they went to the training yard for Ruto's sake, went to classes, had a small lunch in the library, and more classes. This was followed up with some free time, which Zelda took in her room. She instructed Impa to go see the generals about her training schedule in the meantime. Impa did so, and met Zelda again—schedule in hand—for dinner with the king. After dinner, it was almost straight to bed for the sleepy hylian princess.

As Zelda blew the candles out, Impa crossed to her own bed. It was small, but bigger than her trainee bed, and it looked comfortable. She lay down and tried to go to sleep, but it would not come. She felt restless and thoughts of King Daphnes's behavior, the Deku Tree's leaves, and the secret meetings buzzed about in her mind. After a while, she got up and circled the room a couple times. Something was coming. She could feel it, but she did not have enough information to identify it. How could she protect Zelda from something that may just be a figment of her imagination? A hunch and a few odd signs, nothing more.

Impa made note of how Zelda's room was decorated and arranged, in case she should ever find something missing or moved. Perceptiveness and knowledge were the first line of defense against the unknown. Once she felt familiar, she stood by the door for a while. Then over by the empty fireplace. Finally, she stood by the open window and followed the rays of moonlight streaming inside with her eyes. It fell upon Zelda's sleeping form, and the sheikah watched the rise and fall of the princess's chest. She stood there for what felt like a long time, her Great Sword strapped on, just watching Zelda sleep.

_How am I going to protect her?_ She wondered to herself, _when the one thing she really needs protection from now is me?_ Ruto's words reverberated in her head as if echoing infinitely in a large temple hall. _"One day she'll wonder why it feels so good to touch you…"_ The only solution Impa could think of as she stood there in the dark and the quiet, watching the princess sleep, was to not allow physical contact or behavior that would encourage it, as she had been attempting to do. Perhaps, in time, the princess would forget what it felt like and there would not be a comparison to make. Perhaps, in time, Impa herself would forget. Forget the warmth of the princess's body in her arms, the sweetness of her blushes, or the fragrance of her hair. Forget the way light danced in her eyes and her laughter sounded like a private music, meant only for her. Forget the way her fingers felt intertwined with Impa's. All of these things would fade with careful discipline and distance. The line of Hylia would go on.

By the time that Impa lay down to catch some sleep herself, she had made up her mind, though her heart felt worries and grim. There would be no more touching and no more intimate words between them, not so long as this childish infatuation existed. They would be a princess and her guardian, a guiding and protecting figure, not a friend, and goddesses forbid, never a lover.

Their second day together, Impa woke to find the princess already sitting at her vanity getting ready for the day. The sheikah took a quick shower and readied herself in the bathroom with the door closed. When they were both prepared, they went down to breakfast. Zelda was more awake that day, but she wasn't talking overmuch to Impa. Perhaps, the sheikah mused, she was still miffed about the library. Or perhaps she had noticed Impa's emotional and physical distance and was okay with it. The sheikah had no idea. Who knew that it would be so difficult to read the Princess of Hyrule?

The second day went exactly as first had, except that when Zelda went to her classes, Impa went to meet with one of a few masters of various arts of war to continue her training. They met for lunch, where Zelda shared what they had gone over that day, but still didn't talk much. When they were done with lunch, they returned to their respective activities. At free time, Impa found Zelda in her room rather than at the library. When she walked in the door, the Princess was locking something inside her bedside table.

"How was your day, your Highness?" Impa asked, taking a seat on the edge of the princess's bed.

Zelda seemed to grind her teeth a little at the official term of address, but chose to ignore it. "Tedious," she responded. "Today was mostly review in preparation for our next test."

Impa nodded. "Review is never fun, but always beneficial." Zelda nodded, but didn't say anything. Impa tapped her fingers on her knees. "Would you like to go to the library? Or perhaps take a walk in the gardens?" She eventually asked.

"No thank you," Zelda said. "I think that I wish to rest before dinner. If you could wait just outside the door, I will come out soon."

Impa frowned but nodded. "As you wish," she said. She bowed before taking her leave.

Soon, their days began to fall into this pattern. On the fourth day, the princess started talking a little more. When she tried to get too personal, however, Impa stuck to appropriate responses as she had the previous days. She could tell that it was starting to bother Zelda. Ruto even shot her an annoyed glance when, on the their fifth day together, Zelda tried to touch Impa on the arm to show her something and the sheikah stepped back, as if stung by a bee.

On the sixth day, Zelda stopped trying to make a connection at all. She went into her room, asking to be alone, with all of her free time, and didn't say three words in a row to Impa all day. Secretly, it killed Impa to see her like this. But every time the princess touched her or looked at her with that secret smile or spoke with her in a too-familiar manner, the sheikah felt that foreboding, familiar tug on her heart. Something coursed between them whenever they touched, as if they were sharing a jolt of electricity. Nothing terrified Impa more than the pleasure of that touch—for both of them. Ruto's words rung in her mind again and again, coloring every word she spoke to the princess and every action she took. She kept her distance, and Zelda kept her silence.

By the eighth day, the king brought Impa into his presence to ask her what was wrong. He had noticed that Zelda was sullen, and he seemed concerned. He did ask if, perhaps, the princess had had another dream that Impa had not told him about yet. Impa assured him that there had been no dreams yet and made up a story about the princess reading a particularly sad book that was affecting her. It was shaky at best, but the king accepted the answer all the same and dismissed her with instructions to cheer Zelda up. Get her to read something happier.

Weeks passed in this manner. Every day, they woke together, got ready together, ate breakfast together. They went to their separate training activities, came together for lunch, separate training in the afternoon, and finally Zelda would take her free time alone in her room while Impa stood outside. Lastly, they would have dinner together and go to bed. Their days were a gray and monotonous blur. They only exchanged terse and polite conversation. Every day Zelda seemed to recede more and more into herself, and the true heartbreaking part of it, Impa thought, was that the servants and castle attendants seemed to regard her morose behavior as normal. They went about their routines, and the quiet, lonely princess went about her studies like a proper royal girl. Ruto pulled Impa aside once to lecture her, citing the fact that Zelda wasn't responding to the zora girl's encouragement anymore and why was she even here if the sheikah was going to ruin all of her hard work getting Zelda out of her depression. Still, Impa would not change her mind. If this was the only way to make sure that their relationship was professional, and both Zelda and the line of succession would be safe, then this is how it would have to be. The princess would improve. It would only take a little more time….

**0000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

**Author's Notes:** So, I promise it won't all be this painful. I just _can't_ write fluff…it's physically impossible…I have to have plot and conflict and character. Seriously, if you map out my stories they would look like the sawtooth mountains. But, in general, I do enjoy happy endings. So hang in there.

Oh, and I'm not sure if you love Ruto as much as I do yet, but I have never appreciated her more than when she decided to insert herself into my story. She's like a combination of my favorite aunt and my best friend, with a little of her own weirdness thrown in to make it interesting.

Thank you for reading and please review!

~Jennifer Wolfe (aka The Wolfess)

****If you enjoy my writing, please check out my major work, the Doppelganger Trilogy. You can find books 1 and 2 completed on my profile.****


	6. Chapter 6

*****ALL STANDARD DISCLAIMERS APPLY****

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**In Sotto Voce**

_By Jennifer Wolfe (aka The Wolfess)_

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**Chapter 6**

As Impa and Zelda danced around one another, strangers in the same room, the world outside was increasingly gray. It rained more often than not, and the sun refused to shine. There were reports running through the soldier's barracks of movement in the Eldin Volcanic Fields where the Stalfos and Darknuts made their home, some said. Others reported upheaval in the Bulbins out in the distant reaches of the Gerudo Desert. As long as these races stayed in their respective lands and didn't harm anyone, military policy dictated that they watched and left alone. If they were moving, as the rumors were indicating, then surely the Crown would send the army to beat them back.

Unfortunately, the Crown didn't seem to do anything. King Daphnes shut himself up in the Great Hall day after day. Some days he missed dinner because he was meeting with someone. Most days he was alone, presumably drawing up plans and reading proposals. Every now and then he called for Impa to ask after Zelda's dreams. He never called for Zelda herself. Impa watched all of these things and worried. More than anything, however, she worried about Zelda.

Impa knew something was really wrong the night that the princess didn't say goodnight when she lay down to sleep. _It would only take time_, she had told herself, but for some reason time did not seem to be helping the princess. Between the troubles in the kingdom, her father's continued silence, and Impa's emotional and physical distance, Zelda was more isolated and troubled now than ever. Every day they were more rumors and signs. Every day Ruto tried to cheer up the hylian princess by encouraging her that the signs were nothing, and that she should invite some of the lords to spend time with her, or noble ladies to lunch with her. None of it affected the princess. Zelda just listened and watched and studied and went through the motions of the life she was supposed to live.

As the sheikah went to her own bed the night Zelda didn't say goodnight, she thought that she could hear quiet sobbing from within the bigger room. Her heart ached. She thought back on her course of action and its effects on Zelda. Could maintaining appropriate distance hurt her princess more than just crossing all of those boundaries and breaking down those walls? If breaking down the walls that she had carefully constructed would result in the princess doing something about those electric shocks, though, Impa knew that she would give in to Zelda's desire, and then they would both be in the biggest trouble of their lives. Gritting her teeth and steeling her heart against the sound of Zelda's muffled sobs, Impa closed her eyes and forced herself to sleep.

She woke in the middle of the night to hear Zelda screaming.

Impa sprang from her bed, Great Sword in hand instantly, and looked about the room. She quickly saw that nothing was out of place and no one was around. The princess was trashing about in her bed, the quilts all tangled around her legs, and she was screaming and crying. The sheikah put her sword down and went over to Zelda, getting onto the bed without a second thought.

"Hey," she whispered, taking a hold of Zelda's hands and rubbing the backs of them with her thumbs. "Hey, Zelda, it's okay. You're safe. Shh…" The princess's body stopped trashing and her eyes fluttered open. She seemed to be looking without seeing, as if visions from her sleep were still swimming before her eyes.

"A beast in the forest," she said, tears still streaming from her eyes as she looked past Impa at something only she could see. "The servant raises his master's horde. The shade wears a royal skin. A song from the shadows is silenced. The beast in the forest is unchained…" Her eyes closed and her body went completely limp.

"Oh Goddesses, Zelda, hey…" Impa patted the girl's cheeks, but the princess wasn't responding. She pulled Zelda into her arms and leaned her cheek down over the princess's mouth. She could feel breath coming out, steady and strong, although the girl wasn't responding to any outside stimuli. Sighing, Impa eased the princess back down onto her own pillows and began to get out of the bed in order to write down the prophecy that she had just spoken. That is what the king had instructed her to do when this happened, and now that Zelda was calming down she might as well take care of it right away. However, the moment that her hand left Zelda's skin the princess started whimpering again, as if something in her dreams was hurting her and Impa's touch was the only thing that could protect her from it.

Impa hesitated only for a moment, Ruto's warning resounding in her mind again. But Zelda was beginning to thrash again, as if fighting invisible foes, and her bodyguard gritted her teeth got back into the bed. The moment her hand touched Zelda's shoulder, the princess began to quiet. The sheikah committed the prophecy to memory, word for word, in order to write down in the morning. For now, she settled in next to Zelda and drew the girl into her arms. The shaking in Zelda's body seemed to ease, and her tears slowing to a stop. In her sleep, she cuddled closer to Impa's warmth and twined her fingers through those of her bodyguard. She pulled Impa's hand into her chest and promptly began snoring softly and peacefully.

The sheikah's heart was beating so loudly in her ears it was like the roar of a waterfall. Every carefully constructed parameter and wall that she had been developing these weeks shattered that night. As Zelda lay spooned and tucked into her chest, Impa knew that her resistance was over. She could not sit by while Zelda was pain and do nothing when her arms could bring the princess peace. Resigning herself, kicking herself, Impa scooted a little closer to Zelda and fell asleep.

!

"Impa?" The sheikah's eyes slid open, and the first thing she saw was Zelda's sleepy blue eyes looking back at her. Startled, Impa jumped and moved to sit up, realizing that she was still spooning with the Princess of Hyrule, but Zelda's hand was firm and commanding as it pulled her back down. "It is okay," Zelda whispered, smiling. "I do not mind."

Impa blushed and looked away, her facial expression slightly angry. "I shouldn't…I'm sorry, Princess. You were screaming and looked so scared, but when I touched you it seemed to…ah, I'm sorry. I should go."

Zelda shook her head. "No, you should stay," she said.

"Why?" Impa replied, her voice almost a whisper.

"Because no one has been able to calm me while I was having a prophetic dream before," Zelda replied. She looked down at Impa's hand and rubbed her thumb over the sheikah's fingers. "They have tried. Kishla even tried to cradle me, like a mother would, but nothing worked. The dreams just had to play out, and I would scream all night and wake up exhausted. But last night, amidst the darkness of what I saw…" she shivered a little as she remembered her dream. "Within the darkness, I could feel you."

Impa's eyes widened a little. "You could…what?"

Zelda smiled, shyly, and lowered her eyes. "I could feel when you touched me, and as I walked through the dark forest I felt as if I was not alone. That has never happened before. I have always been alone."

The last wall in Impa's heart melted like a block of ice dropped in boiling water. She sighed and pulled Zelda close again, running her fingers through the princess's tangled golden hair. "You're not alone," she whispered. "I'll always be here, and you'll never be alone again."

For a moment, they stayed in each other's arms like that and didn't speak. It was as if spoken words would somehow shatter the moment, and they would suddenly realize how inappropriate it was for the princess and her bodyguard to be cuddling in bed together. Finally, however, Impa was the first one to move. She disentangled herself from Zelda's arms and moved to sit on the edge of the bed. Tall as she was, her feet still dangled over the side. She hung her head and stared at the floor, the reality of the situation finally dawning on her. Things would be different now. A part of her was very happy about that, but the other part remembered Ruto's words of warning. _When she asks herself…._

She felt Zelda come sit beside her. Her hands were folded in her lap and her hair was draped over one shoulder. Her nightgown was smoothed over her knees, her bare legs dangling off the side of the large bed. "I know it is not proper," the princess murmured. "I do not understand, I just…" she sighed and let her thought hang in the air unspoken.

Impa reached over and took Zelda's hand in her own. She waited until the princess's eyes met hers. "I know," she said. "Me too."

They were quiet for a while more, their clasped hands sitting on the bed between them. "Perhaps if we keep our distance in public, then we could…" Zelda held their hands up between them to indicate what she meant without having to say it out loud.

Impa nodded. "If it would please you," she said. "Then yes. Anything you desire." There it was. She had said it, and there was no taking it back. Whatever the princess wanted, her servant would do. Even if it ended up in the detriment of the royal line, or her own heart.

They got up and got ready for the day as if it was just a normal day. At breakfast, the king commented on how lovely Zelda's smile was that day, and Ruto shot Impa a secret, questioning look. Zelda was chipper again, and talkative over breakfast. Although she and Impa spoke and acted with all the same formality, every now and then the zora princess caught a look that went between them, or saw one of them almost touch the other's hand under the table before thinking better of it.

Zelda and Impa left breakfast together, as normal, but when Ruto left them to grab something in her room, the princess reached over and took Impa's hand in her own. She looked up at her bodyguard with an unspoken question in her eyes, and Impa just smiled and squeezed her hand a little. Zelda blushed in response.

"Well, here you are," Impa said, standing outside the classroom alone with Zelda. "Have a good day in class, Zelda."

Zelda grinned. She looked around and then hugged Impa really quick and let go. "Thank you," she said. "I will. And Impa?"

"Yes, my Lady?" Impa said, taking a deep calming breath.

"I like this a lot better," the princess said.

There was a sadness to Impa's smile when she replied. "As do I, Zelda," she said. Zelda wasn't sure if it sounded like Impa thought that it was a good thing or not.

Once the princess was safely in class, Impa went to the king instead of to her training. It was only a few moments before he let her inside. "You had something to tell me, Captain Impa?" King Daphnes said once he saw her.

Impa bowed. "Yes, your Highness. I will be quick. Princess Zelda had a prophetic dream last night." She relayed the things that the princess had said.

The King frowned. "She has had this same dream ten times now," he looked deeply troubled. "Each time there is something new. 'The shade wears a royal skin' is a new detail, along with the beast being unchained. This does not bode well. I have had my scouts looking over Hyrule's forests and they have not found anything. And we still have not gotten the location of where the servant is raising his horde." He sighed and rubbed his temples. "Thank you, Impa. Keep me apprised of any further developments."

Impa bowed again. "Yes, your Majesty." She took his words for the dismissal that they were, and strode out of the room quickly. Instead of going to the Master's training room, like she was supposed to, Impa found herself wandering back to toward Zelda's classroom. After the scare of last night, the sheikah didn't feel confident being away from her charge. She just wanted to get one last glimpse, to make sure she was safe before going her own way.

As she approached the hall, Impa found herself being cornered by none other than Princess Ruto. "Hey, you just wait a minute sheikah," came the watery princess's voice. Impa froze and turned, finding Ruto hiding behind a statue.

"What are you doing there?" Impa asked, furrowing her brow.

"Not going to class," Ruto said. "Or waiting for you. Whichever you want to think. I had this feeling you'd be coming back this way."

Impa walked over to the alcove where Ruto hid behind a statue. The zora princess motioned for her to come in, so Impa glanced around and slid into the alcove as well. "Great," Ruto said. "Now, tell me what happened?"

Impa's eyes widened. "Nothing," she said quickly. "Nothing happened at all. Why do you ask?"

Ruto rolled her eyes. "I heard Zelda's screaming. I always hear it. I'm right down the hall. But it stopped really suddenly, sooner than normal. And then you two are all 'best friends' again. I know too much already, and I can see when something happened between you two, so just tell me and maybe we can help each other."

Impa sighed. "Fine. The princess and I have come to an understanding. That's all you need to know," Impa started getting out of the alcove.

"Really? That's all I get? Geez," Ruto crossed her arms over her chest and started pouting. "No recognition from you, you know that?"

Impa ignored her. At the end of the day she was just a troublemaker and a gossip monger, and she already knew too much. To be truthful, Impa found the Zora princess to be rather suspicious. She always seemed to know what was going on, whether you told her or not, and she had a lot of secrets.

Impa slid out of the alcove and continued down the hall. When she reached Zelda's classroom, she peaked around the corner to look inside. The princess sat at a desk in the middle of the room, her blond hair falling over one shoulder as she chewed on the end of a pencil. It must be test day, Impa realized. But she did look very beautiful as the sunlight drifted from the open windows and set her golden hair to sparkling, with her face scrunched up in concentration. Impa leaned against the door jam, content to just watch for a moment.

As she watched, Impa thought back on the night's events and the king's comments. She wasn't stupid. She could piece together the puzzle as well as anyone else. Something or someone was amassing an army—a horde if the vision was true—and its master, "the beast", has been unleashed. The king's meetings must have to do with tracking down this beast, but he was apparently unsuccessful. Then there was the matter of the shade in royal skin—but there were so many royals in Hyrule. Which one could be an imposter, and how to tell? Not only that, but how long before the master found the servant? How long before they came knocking on the doors of Hyrule Castle, and Zelda's life was threatened? The king's men had not been able to find the master in the forest. If the he _was_ unleashed now, then there was no purpose in continued search there. It would not stay put for long.

What was it, exactly, that Zelda had said? The servant raises his master's horde and the shade wears a royal skin. But what could it mean? Where in Hyrule could a horde hide without being seen? Impa shook her head. There just wasn't enough information yet. Meanwhile, the enemy was out there somewhere amassing his horde and reuniting his master. And there was nothing Impa could do but wait and prepare. Or was there? Any good protector for the Princess of Hyrule must have eyes where hers cannot be. Impa had to work up a network of eyes throughout Hyrule—and she would start today, right here in the castle, with Zelda's old protector and a certain blond-haired recruit.

Impa found Elder Kishla in the garden, in the middle of the red roses, meditating. She had lived in the castle guarding the Royal Family for most of her life, so the king granted her a permanent room in which to live out the rest of her life. Upon recruiting Impa to the position, the first thing that Elder Kishla had done was return to the Sheikah Tribe and spend some time there with her own family and spiritual leaders, preparing herself for this next change in her life mentally and spiritually. She had just returned a couple days ago, so Impa had heard.

Impa stood on the edge of the circle where Kishla was meditating, silent as a shadow as she waited on the elder's convenience. It wasn't long before Elder Kishla turned around, her long white hair free and draped over her shoulders, her dark-hued red eyes still sharp in her old age. She wore a simple salmon-colored gown and a teal head covering, very different attire from the sudo-armor she had worn in the Princess's service.

"Greetings, my child," Elder Kishla said.

Impa bowed. "Greetings, Elder."

Kishla patted the ground next to her. "Come, sit, meditate with me. We will talk when the time for talking comes." She closed her eyed and returned to her meditating state. Impa sighed, feeling too twitchy and anxious for meditation. The young sheikah had never been very good with practicing sheikah spiritual arts, and she didn't think that was going to change. Nonetheless, she sat beside Kishla and did her best to try.

Impa managed to go a half hour before she couldn't take it anymore. "Okay, please Elder Kishla, time is of the essence. Has the 'time for talking' come yet?"

The two sheikah were sitting on their knees across from each other, a kneeling position common for sheikah meditation. Kishla opened her eyes and smiled. "Apparently it has come whether the spirits were ready or not. Impa, you must breed more patience in your soul. This constant urgency in which you live will only take you so far."

Impa inclined her head. "Forgive me, Elder. I will try."

Kishla eased herself into a more normal sitting position. "Oh, these old bones have more trouble getting into a meditation state than they used to. The constant pain is ever a trial for my soul. But, one must do these things for the sake of the spirits." Settling herself, she turned an appraising eye on Impa. "So, I assume you have come to discuss the princess."

Impa nodded. "Yes, Elder. I would like to discuss your previous methods of observation throughout the kingdom and the castle."

Kishla laughed. "How succinctly put, young sheikah. And I will instruct you, yes, but first my Eye tells me that there is something troubling you that you did not want to discuss with me." She squinted her eyes, as if trying to look _inside_ Impa. The sheikah squirmed in discomfort. She had not mastered the art of seeing truth with the naked eye, as the more spiritually leaned sheikah had. It was difficult to keep secrets around those who were masters, such as Elder Kishla.

"Oh ho ho, how unexpected," Elder Kishla laughed, as if she had discovered something delightful. "And yet, I should have foreseen. Each Impa is born at the appropriate time to serve her Zelda in the manner that the goddesses deem appropriate, and each incarnation is different. Some Zelda's need a mother or grandmother, some need a sister or friend, and others…well, rarely in the Cycles do other Zeldas find that they need a lover. As the next incarnation of the Spirit of the Guardian, you were born surprisingly close in age and complementary in temperament this time around. The Council of Elders thought perhaps sisters this time, but we should have foreseen that this Cycle was different. You are a lucky Impa indeed."

Impa blinked, her brow furrowing in confusion. "Uh, I have no idea what you mean. I am simply her guardian. And if you all knew all this time that I was the next incarnation of the Guardian in the cycle, twenty and one years, then why was I never told?"

"So you are not ready to admit your relationship yet?" Kishla nodded sagely. "That is fine, perfectly fine. I will not press you. These things can be delicate when dealing with hylians and their strict cultural regulations. The Goddesses will straighten it out in time, don't you worry. As for your destiny as the Spirit of the Guardian, why, we didn't tell you because you weren't ready. Upon my recent visit home, the Council of Elders has decided that now you ARE ready, and so I have told you."

Impa suppressed the urge to groan. She had almost forgotten how frustrating dealing with Elders could be. They knew everything and talked in circles so you won't know how much they know. It was already giving her a headache. "Can…can we just move on from this…uncomfortable topic? That is not why I came here today, and frankly I don't feel comfortable at all with the Elders knowing more about my soul and my love life than I do."

Kishla sighed. "Yes, we can move on child. But one word of caution before we do: you are young yet and still prone to rash emotions and quick decisions. You are bold and forceful. You MUST learn to temper that fire and water within you, and practice your Spiritual Arts. If you do not bring the three parts of your soul—Mind, Body, _and_ Spirit—into holy balance, and soon, then I fear you will come to great harm should she not intervene."

Impa groaned out loud this time. "Fine, I will meditate more to strengthen my Spiritual Third if that will make you happy. And I'm not even going to ask who this '_she_ _intervening_' is because I know you won't tell me. Are you satisfied?"

"No, but that will do. I have said my peace, and now you may say yours."

"THANK you," Impa said. "So…informants, secret passages, all of your secrets. You know of Zelda's prophecy. King Daphnes said that this was the tenth time. I need the network to keep eyes out for this darkness that is coming, and I cannot do that when my eyes are constantly on Zelda herself."

Kishla nodded. "A wise realization. I wondered how long it would take you to seek me out on this matter. You are very self-confident and I thought it would be longer. I am surprised." She moved to stand and held out a hand for Impa to help her. Impa stood and helped the Elder to her feet. "Now," Kishla said, "I will show you the hidden passageways as we talk about the informants. They already know that you will contact them, but when and how is another matter. A little known fact, some of these families have been informing for many generations, and their names pass down from protector to protector. Others are in very dangerous situations, and dealing with them can be difficult."

They spent the rest of the morning in this manner. By the time that Impa was to meet Zelda for lunch, her head felt like it was going to burst with all of the new information. They determined that she would meet with Kishla once a week until she had the information and passageways down, as well as to (begrudgingly on Impa's part) work on "strengthening her Spiritual Third". Until that time, she was to begin to contact some of her new informers and collect the information that they have been saving up.

After their quiet lunch, Impa dropped Zelda off at class and made a bee line for the training grounds. After all, she still had one more person to talk to: Link. She found him in the practice square training with his sword and shield. His tunic was slightly damp with sweat, and he looked like he was working on some pretty advanced maneuvers. He was coming a long way, she realized, and it was happening fast.

"Hey," Impa said, drawing her Great Sword and stepping out into the square. "Need a sparring partner?"

Link blinked and turned to where the voice was coming from. "Impa!" He exclaimed once his eyes landed on her. He came over and took her hand, giving it a good, hard shake. "Hey, what are you doing here?" He asked.

Impa grinned. "On princess business. What else?"

Link laughed. "I suppose so. Hey, one round for old times' sake?" He stepped back and stood in a ready position, flipping his sword in a cocky circle a couple times.

Impa stepped out to face him, getting into her own ready stance. "It would be my pleasure," she said.

They got right to it, and it wasn't long before the clash of sword on sword, or Great Sword on shield, was heard ringing through the courtyard again. Impa pressed the attack for a while, and then dropped back to defend. Link kept her on her toes more than he used to, and she found herself wishing that she was training with him everyday instead of the Grand Masters. As their bout continued, other trainees soon trickled out of the woodworks to watch. More and more came, even some captains and nobles who happened to be passing by.

As they got near the end of their session, Link crouched down really low and drew his sword hand back as far as it would go. It glowed a little, a little swirl of light coming out of his hand. She came at him, and he released just when she thought he would. He usually ended their fights on a great spin. This time, however, was different than the other times for one simple reason: when he released his spin, a trail of light shot down the length of his blade from his hand, dissipating into the air when Impa guarded with her Great Sword.

Impa was panting a little and grinning from ear to ear. "Light magic?" she said, nodded her head a little. "I should have realized that would be it. You have a similar shine as the princess to your personality. When did you find out?"

Link sheathed his weapons. He was grinning from ear to ear with pride. "A week ago," he said. "Captain Raltz wants to test me to move me into the ranks. He thinks you and I were pretty well matched, so it would make sense. Although, I don't know as MUCH magic as you so I don't think my personal showcase will be quite so special."

"Do not put yourself down," Impa said as she walked over and clapped Link on the shoulder. "We may be well-matched, but you have advanced far faster than I did. You have a natural gift. I am eager to see them put to real use someday."

Link blushed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Aw, Impa, I don't know about that. But thank you, just the same."

The crowd started to disburse, and Impa followed Link back to the men's barracks. "Actually," she started, "your skills are what I'm here to talk to you about. I'm relieved to hear they are testing you soon. You'll have more freedom then...and I have need of that freedom."

Link looked puzzled. "Well, whatever way I can help the princess," he said. "One second, let me change into something not quite so stinky." Impa waited outside the door for him to finish. He came out dressed in a simple green tunic over chainmail with cream-colored under garments and a blue scarf. He wore the same bracers and boots that he wore with his trainee uniform. "So," he said as they started walking. "What can I help Princess Zelda with?"

"Actually," Impa started, "you'll be helping Zelda by helping me."

"How's that?" Link asked. They were turning a corner in the Knight Academy's campus, just walking the once-normal guard rounds that they had shared so many a night.

"Let me put it this way. What do you think I do all day Link?"

Link shrugged. "Watch the princess I guess."

Impa nodded. "Pretty much. And don't get me wrong, I love it so far. There's no one else I'd rather watch," her voice grew soft then, her face contemplative. "Still, as my eyes are on the princess and my sword and my body is at her side, protecting her, I cannot go out and protect her _out there, _from the things that are unseen and moving in the shadow." Link looked confused. Impa tried to explain it a different way. "There is a prophecy, Link. A great darkness is coming, and it's coming for Zelda. The servant has gathered a horde that we cannot find, and the master has been unchained. They will come here if we let them. They will come knocking on her door. I have hunches as to where to look, but I cannot go explore them. That's where you come in, if you're willing."

Link nodded. "Anything I can do," he said. "Just give me a command."

Impa smiled. "I knew I could count on you," she said. "Look, I'll push to get your test moved up if I can. As soon as you're a soldier and free to leave campus whenever you want, I have some places I want you to go. You'll to have to be stealthy. If you do find them, they can't know you've seen or they will kill you. They want to catch us by surprise."

"Great," Link said. "I'm ready for anything, just sent it my way."

Impa inclined her head. "I knew I could count on you. I have eyes and ears all over Hyrule now, but no one to be by legs and hands. When it comes to that, I couldn't trust anyone but you."

Link stopped and bowed a little. "I'm honored," he said. "You're the most powerful and skilled warrior that I've ever met, Impa. I can see why those who don't know any better might put us on the same level, but the truth is that I'm nowhere close yet. So I'm flattered and honored that you would put your faith in me."

Impa shook her head. "Oh, stop bowing," she said, laughing a little. "I'm still just a trainee, like you. At heart at least. I miss these guard walks and sparring times of ours. You have pushed me farther in my own training than anyone, which is not something I admit lightly, and I consider us partners."

Link stopped walking. He grinned and made a proper salute. "I'll await your orders, Captain Impa," he said.

Impa rolled her eyes, but she saluted him back. "At ease. I guess I should let you go. Keep practicing, and I'll see what I can do about moving that test up." Link nodded.

"Hey," he said as she started to walk away. Impa turned around to hear him. "Thanks for stopping by. It was great to see you."

Impa nodded in return. "Likewise."

!

While Impa was off making connections and laying plans, Zelda was finishing her school work early. It would be hours yet before Impa would return to join her for free time, and the princess had a certain book that she wanted those hours to be devoted to. Hurrying up to her room, Zelda closed the door behind her and checked in all of Kishla's old hiding spots to make sure the sheikah wasn't secretly hidden somewhere. Finding no one, she fished around in her pouch and found the small key. She unlocked the drawer and took the book out, then left the drawer open and the key on top of the nightstand in case she had to put it away quickly.

The princess had sent a servant ahead to prepare a fire for her, as it was a chilly day for late spring. They were saying that a late snow might even come, which didn't bode well for the spring harvest. Zelda wondered if it was another sign, however subtle, of the coming darkness. There was no way to tell. All she could do was wait, sneak a few chapters of this book whenever possible, and hopefully enjoy the presence of her new bodyguard.

Zelda wondered about Impa's change of heart this morning. It was still so new that she wasn't convinced that it would last, and the sheikah had seemed preoccupied during their lunch together. She talked of meeting with Kishla and learning all of the older woman's secrets, so the princess assumed that she was just occupied with the new information. After all, it was a big lifestyle change for Impa and it was natural that the sheikah was experiencing some transition pains.

At least, the princess hoped it was just the transition into the new role that had kept her so distant. Their first two weeks together had been...painful, to say the least. Every conversation was strained, _sanitized_ even, when they had been so casual and natural when they met. To top it off, Impa never let her touch her anymore, not even in those small ways that she had at first. The princess's skin still tingled every time they touched, and something about just looking at Impa too long made her breath come short. She thought that the sheikah felt the same way, but Impa jerked away.

Zelda began to wonder if she had made the right decision, or if she should have spent more time getting to know Impa before they committed. Suddenly the sheikah was an unyielding statue where before she had been a human being, and the princess felt alone again. For the first few days, she had thought that she could go back to being alone and be fine. She had been living in solitude while being surrounded by people for many years. The only problem was that she could remember what it felt like when Impa's lips brushed the skin on the back of her hand, and when she dreamt regular dreams they were full of her. Upon waking, though, Impa's emotional distance would still be there. She was only an arm's length away, but never to touch. It started to feel like a kind of torture.

But this morning was different. The princess had woken in Impa's arms. She laid there for a while just watching the sheikah sleep, not daring to move too much or breathe too hard. Finally, though, she couldn't help herself. She touched Impa's hair and whispered her name, and those piercing red eyes opened. Zelda had run through that moment in her mind multiple times that day, trying to burn it on her soul. The sheikah tried to leave, at first, her 'duty' done, but when Zelda had asked her to stay—fearing, deep in her heart, that she would be rejected again—the sheikah surprised her. She stayed. Not only that, but then she agreed to Zelda's wordless proposal. If today's change is heart lasted, despite the rockiness of their first couple weeks, the princess thought they would be just fine.

Banishing the bodyguard from her mind, or trying to at least, Zelda opened the book and picked back up to where she had been reading. Truth be told, she had already finished it and was reviewing certain sections in an attempt to figure out what it is about this old scientific comparison between the races, one of which was mostly extinct, that Impa wanted so badly to keep from her. It wasn't like Zelda didn't already know most of it. Perhaps the only detail she was rusty on was when the Professor described the way that the transient elements shared by the three races influenced their opinion of sexuality and gender stereotyping.

She flipped back to that section today and began to give it a deeper read. In an effort to have it finished in case Impa found it, the princess had gone through the book so fast the first time that she felt as if she didn't pull as much information out as she wanted to. This particular section was interesting to her, although she couldn't quite put her finger on it yet. "_Due to their deep relationship with their elements, as discussed in chapters one through five, the Sheikah tribe, Gerudo tribe, and Zora tribe have each developed similarly flexible relationships with gender and sexuality,_" she read. "_Most Zora are inherently androgynous, not exhibiting any particular trait that identifies them as male or female. This leads to Zora individuals not particularly caring about the gender of others. Sheikah also have a tendency toward androgyny as well. Sometimes, a sheikah individual may just choose to dress as the opposite sex because they feel they identify more with the opposite sex than with their birth sex. The Gerudo take an alternate path all together. Although they all identify as female and look or dress female, they pay no attention to traditional gender roles. In Gerudo partnerships, each Gerudo may perform both activities and roles traditionally defined as female as well as those traditionally defined as male." _

He spent a few pages delving into specific examples of these behaviors, which Zelda merely perused. She remember what he said about them and didn't need to read them again. Instead, she skipped down to the section where he goes into sheikah, gerudo, and zora sexuality. "_Along with their flexible ideas on gender stereotypes and gender roles, Zora, Sheikah, and Gerudo all share the belief that sexuality is not fixed. Rather, it is a spectrum that fluctuates with each person. Picture it as a number line, or timeline. On one end of the line is traditional attraction to the opposite sex. In hylian culture, we believe that this is the only type of attraction. Men and woman should always been attracted to and marry with those of the opposite sex. Our teaching and literature on the subject is very black and white, and many young hylian boys and girls never think it could be otherwise. However, young Gerudo, Sheikah, and Zora children are not raised this way. They are taught the spectrum of sexuality module shared by the three races, and on the other end of this line are those individuals who are attracted to members of the same sex. Relationships and marriages between men or between women are very common. The gerudo race, in fact, is a society in which same-sex relationships are almost exclusive. See chapter twenty for a thorough discussion of Gerudo reproduction habits. To focus on the timeline concept, however, Zora, Sheikah, and Gerudo all believe that a person can fall anywhere on the spectrum of sexuality. They could even be attracted to both sexes, not just existing on one or the other extreme."_

Zelda paused. Attraction between women? She furrowed her brow, remembering something later on in the chapter concerning sheikah same sex relationships. She flipped to it and found the section. "_In sheikah culture, same sex relationships are considered sacred, particularly those between women. They believe that those who find themselves on the female-leaning half of the spectrum are touched by the goddesses and their desire is a manifestation on earth of the perfect balance shared between the Holy Three." _

Zelda closed the book. She set it aside and looked into the fire, furrowing her brow in concentration. She thought back on Impa's intimacy their first few meetings. Her sudden distance afterward. Her intense reluctance to share physical contact or emotional intimacy, even now. Not to mention her intense desire for Zelda not to read that book. Was Impa...attracted to her? Zelda blushed just thinking of it. However, the more she thought about it the more likely it seemed. Why else would she be so afraid of a simple touch unless she was hiding her own attraction? Impa may be her protector, but they were very close in age. Five years wasn't a very large age gap at all.

Zelda picked the book back up. She turned it over in her hands a couple times. Should she confront Impa with this new knowledge? Should she take different actions with her? After a little while, Zelda walked over and locked the book back in its drawer. She would not say anything. What did it matter if Impa was attracted to her? She was an honorable woman, and Zelda trusted her with her life. Theirs was a different culture. As the future monarch of Hyrule, Zelda felt like it was her duty to honor such cultural differences. In fact, Zelda mused, she didn't feel affronted by the realization or afraid. She wasn't bothered at all. In fact, the more the princess thought on the possibility of Impa's hidden attraction, perhaps even feelings, the more Zelda felt...intrigued. And flattered. And excited.

Zelda felt herself blushing and she took a deep breath to calm her suddenly racing heart. Her mind started to bring up examples of her own feelings. How her heart beat when Impa was near. How her skin tingled when they touched. Her intense desire to be with the sheikah in any way, doing anything. Zelda shook her head to banish the thoughts. She was the Princess of Hyrule. It wasn't possible for the Princess of Hyrule to be attracted to a woman. Surely not.

Casting the train of thought from her mind, she decided to take a walk and get some fresh air. If she was going to act as if there was nothing different between them, as she had decided, then the princess was going to need to calm down. She was a master of controlling her expressions, she reminded herself, and Impa would return to find everything just as kosher as before. The only difference was that Zelda had figured out her secret…and what a secret it was.

**0000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

**Author's Notes:** See what I said about hanging in there? I didn't make you suffer too long. :) There won't be another update for a while—this is the last of the pre-edited chapters, and I have to finish writing the damn thing! It's over 200 PAGES! What happened?

Ah well. It's 200 freakin adorable pages. I hope that you will all stick with me when the next chapter is ready to go. Thank you for reading and please review!

~Jennifer Wolfe (aka The Wolfess)

****If you enjoy my writing, please check out my major work, the Doppelganger Trilogy. You can find books 1 and 2 completed on my profile.****


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